UPDATE: Arson ruled out in 5-alarm Cambridge fire that injured elderly couple, three firefighters

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

By Andrew Ryan and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Winds gusting near 40 miles per hour fanned a fire in an apartment house in Cambridge early this morning that grew into a five-alarm blaze, engulfing two triple deckers.

Firefighters and police rescued an elderly couple in their 80s from the thick smoke and flames. The husband was plucked out of a third floor window and carried down a ladder while his wife was carried down three flights of stairs by firefighters, officials said.

The couple was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital, where relatives instructed the hospital not to release any information about their conditions, according to Frank Pasquarello, public information officer for the Cambridge Police Department and an MGH spokeswoman.

Fire officials this afternoon said investigators have ruled out arson as the cause of the devastating fire that left about 30 people from three buildings driven from their homes. A Red Cross spokesman said the charity has provided debit cards to the victims, but said all of the victims have found housing with relatives or friends.

The fire was first reported at 3:30 a.m. at 27 Prince Street, a wood frame building that housed an extended family in the multi-unit building, according to neighbors and officials.

The flames spread to a six-unit condo next door at 39-41 Prince Street and damaged a third residence, neighbors and officials said. The roof at 39 Prince street collapsed onto a firefighter, who was rescued by his colleagues, officials said.

Fire officials said damage was in excess of $1 million. Three firefighters were injured, but all were expected to be treated and released, officials said.

The narrow width of Prince Street complicated the efforts of fire crews in a part of the city where houses are just an arm's length apart. Rain trapped the heat and smoke close to the ground, but also helped prevent the fire from spreading when hot embers blew onto the roof of nearby homes, officials said.

"The smoke was so dense you could hardly see the firefighters," said Pasquarello, who was one of more than 100 emergency personnel that responded to the scene on Prince Street near Central Square.

"They were trying to fight the fire pulling hoses in through yards and over roof tops," Pasquarello said, noting that the street would only allow one engine to pull in front of the flaming structures at a time. "It was a very difficult fire."

Firefighters responded from Boston, Somerville, and other nearby cities and towns. Crews had the flames under control by about 7:30 a.m.

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