Waltham Fire Destroys Building, Damages Homes, Cars

WALTHAM (CBS) – A four-alarm fire destroyed a building and heavily damaged a home in Waltham early Wednesday morning.

Firefighters were called to Charles Street around 3:15 a.m. after flames broke out in a commercial building undergoing renovations and then jumped to the house next door.

A police officer got to the scene first and managed to wake up neighbors. Everyone escaped safely.

Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries.

The intense heat melted the siding on some nearby homes and damaged cars at an auto body shop across the street.

There was also damage to a nearby church.

Fire chief Paul Ciccone said power lines came down during the fire and they had to cut electricity to the neighborhood for safety reasons.

"It's pretty scary when they start popping. The crews did a great job containing the fire," Ciccone told reporters.

There's no word yet on a cause.

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