Jan 6, 2009 12:30 pm US/Eastern
Fire Destroys Fenway Restaurants
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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The fire caused an estimated $5 million in damage.
WBZ
An early morning fire in Boston's Fenway neighborhood destroyed a block of restaurants and forced dozens of people out into the cold Tuesday.
FAST MOVING FIRE
The fire broke out inside Thornton's Fenway Grill at the corner of Peterborough and Kilmarnock Streets around 2 a.m.
It quickly spread to the ceiling and then throughout the block, gutting five other restaurants and a dry cleaner.
"When we first got in there, we thought we had the fire contained in the first building," Robert Dunderdell of the Boston Fire Department said. "But there were no firewalls between the businesses, and it had raced across the building."
DOZENS EVACUATED
About 100 families were forced to evacuate their homes in the neighborhood because of the smoke, heat, and carbon monoxide danger generated by the four-alarm fire.
100 firefighters were called in and they struggled with the icy conditions.
Two of them were hurt when they slipped and fell. No one else was hurt.
CEILING COLLAPSED
Firefighters were forced to pull back at one point because an air conditioning unit crashed through the ceiling of one of the businesses.
Damage is estimated at $5 million.
There's no word yet on how the fire started.
The restaurants destroyed are:
- Thornton's Fenway Grill
- Sorento's Italian Gourmet
- Umi Japanese Restaurant
- Greek Isles
- Rod-Dee Thai Cuisine II
- El Pelon Taqueria
SCHOOL CLOSED
The William McKinley Preparatory School on Peterborough Street has been closed for the day because of the fire. It is being used as a temporary shelter for residents.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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