Fire In Back Bay Brownstone Causes $900K In Damage

BOSTON (CBS) -- A blaze caused nearly a million dollars in damage to a four-story brownstone Sunday night, the Boston Fire Department said.

The fire broke out in the rear of the first floor of a building on Newbury Street between Exeter and Fairfield Streets around 6:15 p.m. Sunday.

The department said on Twitter that the basement is a walk-in restaurant, and the first floor is an art gallery. The building also houses six one-bedroom apartments.

Jeffrey Manter told WBZ-TV's Jim Smith he escaped the flames.

"There was smoke everywhere, I couldn't even get out the front door," said Manter. "People were down on the sidewalk, they could see the flames down here, they said 'get out, get out!' I'm like, wow, I didn't realize it was below me."

"We saw all the smoke billowing out, and then all the firetrucks coming, five of them, and then they were breaking all the glass," said witness Carolyn Steinhauser.

The Boston Fire Chief said damages were estimated at $900,000.

Teuscher Chocolates next door narrowly avoided damage.

"Certainly right before Halloween, we don't want to lose our inventory to a fire," said chocolatier Stefan Bieri. "We can't take any losses, even smoke would affect the quality of the product."

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

In:
• Back Bay
• Fire