Thomas Frechette Photo
Firefighters on scene Friday at Blatchley and Peck.
Fire investigators are seeking answers about why three fires broke out in 25 hours late last week, in one case leading to the demolition of two buildings in the Hill.
The first fire broke out around 4 p.m. Thursday at a residential property at 6 Arthur St. The fire quickly spread next door to 4 Arthur, at the corner of Lamberton.
“The high winds were a major factor in how the fire spread,” said Assistant Fire Chief Justin McCarthy.
The flames even caused minor damage to a building diagonally across the way at 84 Lamberton St.
Half the firefighters on duty ended up responding to the two-alarm blaze. Two firefighters were injured; they were treated at the hospital, then released. A dog died in the fire. Nineteen people were displaced from their homes.
The damage was severe enough that City Building Official Jim Turcio deemed the two Arthur Street buildings beyond rescue. They were demolished on Friday afternoon.
Not long after the Arthur Street blaze, another fire broke out across town on Howard Street in Fair Haven Heights. It damaged one unit of an apartment building there before firefighters knocked it out in less than an hour, according to McCarthy. One person was hospitalized due to smoke inhalation.
Then, on Friday at 5 p.m., a fire broke out on the second floor of an eight-unit apartment building at 31 Peck St. in Fair Haven. Again, extensive damage was contained to one apartment. No one was injured; one family was displaced.
(Watch the firefighters at work on the fire in this video provided by Thomas Frechette.)
McCarthy said the causes of all three fires remain under investigation. He said no major fires occurred over the weekend.