30 people displaced after fire in Dorchester
BOSTON - Emotions ran high along Irma Street in Dorchester on Monday afternoon as dozens of people combed their belongings out of the rubble from a fire earlier in the day.
The Boston Fire Department said 30 people were displaced after a fire started in the back of one of the ground floor units and spread to other floors and adjacent buildings.
"The whole building is on fire," said third floor resident Kisha Dunlap. She was asleep at the time when her son smelled smoke and saw flames coming from a porch downstairs. "That's when he ran back up to tell me and my boyfriend 'y'all need to get out,' the first-floor balcony is on fire."
The Boston Fire Department said everyone got out safely. There were three firefighters who had minor injuries, according to the department.
The American Red Cross is helping the families find housing for the short term, but Dunlap said she is unsure where she will go when that assistance is up. She recently lost her job and said she is facing the reality of starting over from scratch.
"Everything we have worked for is gone," Dunlap said. "There is nothing that can fix this. It's like we are starting all over. We are homeless because of this."
The exact cause of the fire is being investigated.
