Large Home Destroyed, Cat Saved In Jamaica Plain Fire

BOSTON (CBS) -- Firefighters battle heavy flames and icy conditions at a three-alarm house fire in Jamaica Plain Sunday morning.

The fire started in the basement of a large home on Porter Street at about 5 a.m. and quickly spread to the first and second floors, fire officials said.

The only man living inside the home was able to escape safely, and firefighters also rescued a cat.

The bitter cold and icing on the road made it tough for firefighters, some of whom slipped and fell on the ice.

"It was very tough, very icy, very slippery," Boston Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe. "Cold weather operations are very difficult."

Finn estimated there was about $600,000 in damage, and the building was deemed a total loss.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

In:
• Kim Tunnicliffe