CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A massive four-alarm fire ripped through an apartment building in Cambridge early Thursday morning, but luckily no injuries have been reported.
Flames overtook three buildings in Cambridge early Thursday morning in video posted on Twitter.
The blaze sent dozens of people out into the street, including James Cox.
“I heard this sort of splitting, crackling sound,” he said. “I didn’t know what it was. Like somebody was tearing apart wooden crates; somebody could have been doing that. And then a couple of pops.”
Fire on Magazine St. #Cambridge MA...the flames have now been put out from my POV. I hope nobody was injured. pic.twitter.com/msddwYyd0I
— Sam Vanivray 🧢 (@SamVanivray) November 30, 2017
Cox lives around the corner from the fire on Auburn and Magazine streets.
“I looked out, and there was this blazing,” Cox said. “I panicked and told my wife, ‘Let’s get out of here.’”
The acting fire chief said about 65 firefighters from several towns and cities responded when the fire broke out just after 1 a.m.
They were able to extinguish it in about 90 minutes and were able to safely get everyone out of the burning buildings.
1 of 2: #CambMA 4th alarm fire Box 4-391: Time of the initial alarm was 0101 a.m. Thanks to the aggressive attack by all members, all occupants were evacuated and the fire was quickly contained and extinguished. Thanks to @CambridgePolice & @ProEMSCambridge for their support. pic.twitter.com/2FzV3kThdG
— Cambridge Fire Dept. (@CambridgeMAFire) November 30, 2017
“We don’t like to see anybody displaced at any time, particularly in the holiday season. Obviously it makes it that much more difficult,” acting Cambridge fire Chief Gerard Mahoney said.
Thursday’s fire came nearly a year to the day after a 10-alarm fire on Berkshire Street in Cambridge damaged or destroyed 11 buildings, injuring several people and displacing hundreds.
Cox said he was grateful the fire didn't spread further this time around.
“It was quite a spectacle,” he said.
Fire officials believe the fire started on a second floor back porch on one of the buildings, but the blaze is still under investigation.
Cox Media Group