Firefighter escapes flaming Dorchester basement after mayday call

By John R. Ellement and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

A disoriented firefighter made a mayday call this morning when he became trapped in a Dorchester basement brimming with heavy smoke and flames as crews battled a four-alarm blaze near Codman Square.

"There were some anxious moments," said spokesman Steve MacDonald of the Boston Fire Department.

Officials immediately stopped fighting the blaze on Colonial Avenue and ordered crews out of the six-family apartment house. The firefighter trapped in the basement was able to find his way outside and everyone was accounted for, MacDonald said.

Smoke detectors alerted residents to the fire, which appeared to be emanating from the basement. The exact origin and cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

Firefighters got the call at 10:06 a.m. and rushed to the scene. All 18 adults and children home at the time of the fire escaped without injury, MacDonald said. One firefighter was taken to an area hospital with smoke inhalation.

Two firefighters on a ladder truck tried to douse the flames, which were shooting high above the roof. The fire is under control but still burning, with a plume of white smoke rising high into the sky.

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