'Chimney Fire' on West Newton Ruled a Smoke Scare

The Boston Fire Department responded to a chimney fire in the South End on Saturday.

The Boston Fire Department responded to a West Newton condo building on Saturday evening for a chimney with an excessive amount of smoke.  Fire officials were on scene for about half an hour, from 6:20 to 6:50 p.m. before ruling there was no fire. "We investigated, but we found no fire and they coded it a smoke scare," said Boston Fire Department spokesperson Stephen MacDonald. 

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Sara Jacobi

1:39 pm on Monday, January 28, 2013

Thanks - I contacted the Fire Dept. for more information and updated the story with more details.   more ›

Green Line Service Restored After Morning Fire

Firefighters and T workers were able to isolate a smoldering electrical wire in Arlington station. The loss of Green Line service and an unrelated Red Line incident wreaked havoc on the morning commute.

The MBTA restored Green Line service late Wednesday morning after an electrical fire at Arlington station shut down portions of the service. According to the Boston Fire Department, the station was shut down because of smoking electrical wires. "The power had to be shut down to de-energize the smoldering cable. This caused the closing and evacuation of Arlington & Copley," fire officials wrote on the department's official Twitter account. The offending cable was identified just before 10 a.m., according to the fire department.  The evacuation and shut down affected all Green Line branches. And an unrelated incident on the Red line further complicated the morning commute during one of the coldest days of the year.  MBTA Green Line service …

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Should Boston Crack Down on Illegal Deck Grills?

How can Boston identify and remove illegal grills before disaster strikes?

A South End roof deck caught fire Thursday night, causing billowing smoke and snarled traffic in the neighborhood. An illegal grill on the roof deck caused the fire, according to the Boston Fire Department. It was the second illegal grill fire in two days; the department put out a Roslindale blaze Wednesday. Spotting illegal grills is difficult from street level, but Bostonians in taller buildings know which neighbors have the contraband cookers and which don't. Here are the city's rules for grills. Mostly they prohibit charcoal grills on any structure and place limits on gas grills. What can Boston do to crack down on illegal grills? Are you willing to rat out your neighbors in the name of safety? Or do you own a rooftop grill? Why do you…

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Jay K.

12:04 pm on Saturday, August 25, 2012

Get a home security system Paul, sounds like Bette is gonna burn down your house!!   more ›

Fire on Wellington Street Roof Deck

The Boston Fire Department responded to a grill fire that extended to a roof deck on Thursday night.

The Boston Fire Department responded to a grill fire that extended to a third story roof deck on Wellington Street on Thursday night. All residents were evacuated safety during the blaze. Around 8:05 p.m., firefighters from District 4 were called to 20 Wellington St. for a report of a roof deck that was fully involved with fire. ---------------------------------------------------------- Want up-to-the-minute breaking news updates? Follow South End Patch on Facebook and Twitter and sign up for breaking news alerts.  ---------------------------------------------------------- By 8:20 p.m., firefighters were reporting that the fire had spread to a fourth floor deck at 18 Wellington St. The fire was reported knocked down at 8:30 p.m. "Please …

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Fire on Roof of MBTA Bus Yard

Boston Firefighters responded to a large fire inside a building in the MBTA yard opposite 93, near Albany Street.

Boston firefighters put our a fire on the roof of an MBTA bus yard on Widett Circle midday Friday. According to MBTA spokesman Joshua Robin, the fire was put out quickly Initial reports said that a fire broke out and quickly spread into the roof through a vent at the MBTA's bus yard at 110 Widett Circle just after noon on Friday. Firefighters cut power to the building and gained access to the vent and worked on the roof to put out the fire, according to the BNN alert service. The fire was knocked down by 12:30 p.m., according to Twitter reports.  Robin said there would be liminal service disruptions while the area is cleared and cleaned. There was no immediate word on a cause for the fire.

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Police, Fire Respond to Rollover on Albany Street

A cab flipped in the accident, trapping the occupants inside.

Boston police and fire responded to a rollover at Albany and Traveler streets Thursday afternoon. A cab rolled over in the accident, briefly trapping people inside, according to public safety radio transmissions. The Boston Fire Department posted a couple of pictures of the accident on its Twitter account. Police are investigating the cause of the accident.

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Registry, Training Proposed to Help Autistic Fire Victims

The Boston City Council mulled a plan to create a volunteer registry of autistic residents, which first responders could use to help rescue special needs residents during a fire.

Boston City Councilor Rob Consalvo proposed creating a voluntary registry that would help identify individuals with special needs to rescue workers at a rescue situation. Consalvo made the proposal at Wednesday's City Council meeting. Consalvo said he's working with Bill Cannata on the issue. Cannata is the statewide coordinator for the Autism & Law Enforcement Coalition of the Family Autism Center. Cannata, a Westwood firefighter, was featured in a "Today Show" segment about rescue workers saving kids with special needs.  Consalvo recounted a story Cannata told him that emphasized why rescue respondents need training on how to work with special needs individuals. "An 18- or 19-year-old autistic person was told by his parents to never …

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NStar Says It Won't Pay For Blackout Business Losses

Mayor Menino said the company should pay small businesses for their losses.

Power Outages Remain After Transformer Fire

Power problems expected to continue through Wednesday; T stops remain closed.

Two MBTA stations remain closed and power outages are expected to continue throughout the day after a transformer fire at the Hilton Hotel garage sent clouds of thick black smoke through the Back Bay neighborhood Tuesday night. Green line service is not stopping at Prudential and Symphony stops. However, the Mass. Ave. stop on the orange line reopened this morning. Power is said to be returning to more than a third of the 21,000 customers who lost it in the Back Bay, South End,  Chinatown, Theater District and Kenmore areas.  Roads in Back Bay are open, except for a portion of Boylston Street near Mass. Avenue. The Pru Tunnel reopened this morning. Fire Broke Out About 6:30 p.m. Firefighters responded at about 6:30 p.m. to a 4-alarm …

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Power Outages After Smoky Transformer Fire

Firefighters have put out the flames in the Back Bay, but urge people to keep their distance as they begin cleanup and access the damage.

Follow Twitter reports related to the #BackBayFire Update 10:40 p.m. NStar estimates there are least 20,000 customers without power in the Back Bay, South End, Chinatown, Fenway and Kenmore. Power will likely not be restored until sometime tomorrow morning. Here's a map we've created that shows the blackout areas and other transportation info in the Back Bay. Tell us about your experience and upload your photos here.   Update 9:28 p.m. Firefighters have contained the blaze in Back Bay, but police will remain on duty as the area is cleaned up and damage is access. People are encouraged to keep their distance. Mayor Menino is on the scene, and power outages could last until tomorrow morning, the City of Boston said. NStar says 20,000 …

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