11 Displaced After Early New Years Day 2-Alarm Fire In Boston

BOSTON, MA — Less than an hour after the ball dropped and the fireworks ended, a fire ripped through a Boston triple decker, displacing the 11 people who lived there.

Fire fighters were called to 34 Ridgewood St. in Dorchester around 1:15 a.m., and when they arrived, they saw heavy fire from the rear porches and ordered a second alarm.

The residents were able to be safely evacuated, according to officials, but won't be able to live in their homes for a while.

In response to seeing the condemned building New Years Day, Michael Whalen said he felt he had to so something to help as he stood there watching a family who lived in the triple decker salvage what they could of their belongings in the rain.

Whalen said he had just dropped off a friend nearby when he saw two people putting their stuff on the curb. He offered for them to keep the salvaged belongings, mostly old photos, in his car since it was raining and then gave one of them a lift to a family member's home in Dorchester.

"I dont know the family personally but I know enough that this is the worst way to start a new year, let alone a new day," he said taking to GoFundMe to help raise money for one of the families who lived there. "There's only so much I can do, but if we all band together and give what we can, maybe we can make a profound difference to lessen the impact of this tragedy for this poor family."

District Chief Jeff Whitman said the fire caused some $400,000 in damages and investigators were working to find what caused the fire.

The Dorchester fire appears to be the first fire of 2019.

Photos courtesy Boston Fire Department