< Back to front page Text size – +

Hyde Park YMCA catches fire while under renovation

E-mail|Link|Comments () October 6, 2009 12:55 PM

By Jack Nicas, Globe Correspondent

Firefighters extinguished a heavy fire this morning in the attic of the Hyde Park YMCA, which has been closed for renovations since July, officials said.

“A small loft on the third floor, like an attic, was fully engulfed in flames,” said Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald. “The ceiling is completely black, and all the wood around it is completely charred.”

Firefighters put the blaze out just before 6 a.m., about 15 minutes after they arrived. No one was inside the building, and despite several hazards encountered by firefighters no one was injured.

“Parts of the floor were cut out,” MacDonald said. “And there was a lot of smoke, so you can’t see anything, and next thing you know there’s a hole in the floor.”

The three-story building on River Street closed July 1 for an $8 million renovation and expansion, including the addition of a new pool. It is scheduled to reopen next summer. YMCA officials don’t expect the fire to pose a setback.

“At this point, it will not interfere with the building coming back on line in summer 2010,” said Kelley Rice, a YMCA spokeswoman. “You never want to have a fire … but if you have to have one, it’s good to have it while your building is being demolished.”

Although fire officials estimated $350,000 in damages, Rice said the organization’s financial losses should not be as severe.

For example, she said holes cut into the roof this morning will not have to be fixed, due to the YMCA's plans to replace the roof. New second-floor windows that broke were the only recent additions the fire affected.

Crews resumed scheduled construction on the pool this morning, Rice said.

MacDonald said the fire's cause is unknown and an investigation is ongoing.