A three-alarm fire consumed a residential building at 74 Addison Street early Monday morning, resulting in total destruction and leaving 12 people homeless. The blaze’s cause remains under investigation.
Chelsea firefighters executed a dramatic rescue when they discovered a sleeping man inside the burning structure, surrounded by intense flames, emergency vehicles, and the roar of water streams. According to Chelsea Deputy Fire Chief Wayne Ulwick, Engine 2 personnel located the man in a makeshift one-room apartment. Someone had converted the rear wooden porch on the first floor into living quarters containing only a mattress and refrigerator, Ulwick explained. The man’s room occupied the area where fire conditions were most severe.
Initial searches of the first floor in the two-story building yielded no occupants. However, after a street bystander alerted firefighters to an additional rear bedroom, crews pushed through heavy smoke and flames toward what appeared to be a storage area entrance. “They found him, thank God. They knocked the door down and pulled him out. He was still sleeping,” Ulwick said. “He was completely surrounded by flames. He had flames everywhere. He was lucky to get out alive. Very lucky.” This doorway proved to be the sole entry to the apartment. The rescued man refused medical attention at the scene.
Three additional residents were found in the building’s rear section and evacuated by ladder company firefighters to Massachusetts General Hospital. Their medical conditions were not immediately reported.
Upon arrival, Ulwick found the structure already heavily engulfed and immediately called for a second alarm, followed by a third alarm to bring additional personnel and equipment. After confirming the building was empty, he directed firefighters to attack the fire from outside. He later ordered crews back inside, then evacuated them again when structural collapse seemed imminent. The second floor subsequently collapsed. The building at 74 Addison Street is a complete loss requiring demolition, and the adjoining structure is currently uninhabitable.
About a dozen displaced residents are seeking assistance and temporary housing through the American Red Cross. Investigators continue examining the fire’s origin.