A fire raged through a huge abandoned mill building along the river in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and investigators are calling it suspicious.
Area fire departments worked to get the situation under control amid towering flames coming from the structure. The fire broke out early Monday morning.
“I saw huge fire here and I was just like ‘Oh my god!’” said Johnny Reyes, who lives near the fire.
One witness told NBC10 Boston she saw six or seven people running from the area before the fire spread.
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"They all came out running, and the whole building was on fire," said Edna Varga.
“It was on our radar. We were always worried about something like this happening, so our fire prevention division, they did a weekly inspection along with some of the city inspectors,” Chelsea Fire Chief John Quatieri said.
Because of that, he said they had a plan in place to battle a fire at the former printing company on Crescent Avenue, which he said has been a dangerous, vacant property for about 15 years. He said the initial call came in at 12:30 a.m. at the Forbes site, a four-story mill style structure.
“We fought it defensively from the outside," Quatieri said. "The roof did collapse, now several floors collapsed into the basement, so that’s where we’re having problems trying to reach the seat of the fire."
Firefighters cut holes through the commuter rail fence to get water on the hot spots, leaving Newburyport/Rockport service suspended for the day.
Mutual aid was called in from dozens of surrounding communities, with hoses stretched for several blocks to even reach the scene. That meant busy Eastern Avenue and several surrounding streets were blocked off.
As of around 6 a.m., Quatieri said that the bulk of the fire has been knocked down, but firefighters were still on scene and will be for most of the day.
❗ UPDATE: Newburyport/Rockport Line passengers can expect delays due to fire department activity. Passengers will be accommodated by a shuttle bus in both directions between Chelsea and Lynn where they will board a train for continued service.
— MBTA Commuter Rail (@MBTA_CR) November 18, 2024
There were no reports of injuries.
Fire crews were able to prevent the fire from spreading to a nearby building in the complex. It was a challenging ordeal though, because the building was surrounded by water on three sides and commuter rail train tracks on another side.
There are still concerns that the building could collapse, and Quatieri said the vacant structure will likely have to be demolished.
Nearby Mary Burke Elementary School was closed on Monday as a result of the fire. As of 11 a.m., Braodway had reopened to traffic at the Revere line, but Crescene Avenue remained closed between Eastern Avenue and Clinton Street.
The cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation, but Quatieri said you have to be suspicious anytime there is a fire in a vacant building.
