Boston firefighters save 2 from burning Dorchester home, woman arrested for arson
BOSTON - Boston firefighters saved two people from a burning home in Dorchester late Tuesday morning.
A person living in the three-story house on Mora Street called 911 around 11:15 a.m. after flames broke out on the first floor and quickly spread outside to the roof, according to Boston Fire spokeswoman Sharon Galloway.
She said two residents were trapped on the second floor and were rescued on ladders.
Retired firefighter Ted Mathis lives across the street. He said the firefighters got there just in time.
"They would have been dead, no doubt about it," he told reporters. One resident was taken to the hospital because of smoke inhalation. The other is o.k. The third floor is vacant, Galloway said.
Charlene Wilkins has lived in the house for five years. She left work after getting a call that her home was on fire.
"This is just horrible," Wilkins said. "Everything is in there. I was just going to move."
Hours later, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced a woman was arrested and charged with arson. Nikia Rivera allegedly told officers that she "had to do it" and the devil made her start the fire. She was ordered to undergo an evaluation at Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital before appearing in court on January 13.
