4-Alarm Fire Tears Through Watertown Multi-Family Home

WATERTOWN, MA — A 4-alarm fire displaced more than two dozen residents and burned for hours in a multi-family home in Watertown. The fire was contained to a building in the Robert Ford Road public housing complex.

The blaze displaced 31 residents in the 12-unit building. One person was hospitalized after complaining of heart issues, according to Watertown Deputy Fire Chief Tom McManus.

"The fire was ahead of us, that didn't help," McManus said. The fire picked up speed once it spread to the roof but hit several fire walls.

The building took extensive damage, fire officials said. McManus added that at least two units may be a total loss.

The displaced residents will all be placed in either hotels or vacant housing authority locations.

Plumes of smoke spewed from the partially collapsed roof of the home. Residents surrounded the building, watching crews work. The fire started around 11 a.m. and was put out around 1 p.m. according to Belmont fire officials.

Fire officials are still investigating just what caused the fire.

Some residents said there had been some construction or sanding in the building before the fire.

Folks who live in the housing development told Patch they worry not all the smoking detectors were working, noting that they regularly have issues with them. One resident said they complained to the housing authority about a smoke detector that said it should be replaced in 1999, but got new batteries instead.

"I could hear some detectors going off when we got here," said McManus, but he quickly added he'd be talking with residents and housing authority to hear more about how the detectors were working.

One of the residents, 19-year-old Devlynne Loder, told Patch she was walking her dog when she noticed something near her building that looked like it was on fire — before the fire seemed to explode. She ran inside, grabbed her cell phone called 911 and got her younger brother and dog out of the home before knocking on doors to help get others nearby out, too.

"All I kept thinking was, is everything okay, my cats, my dog, my mom, my brother," Loder said.

Her mom was at work, but drove over right away to make sure everyone was safe.

The family is still missing Kitty Face, their orange cat. Waltham Animal Control found four cats so far.

Another resident was reunited with Mittens, the cat he said is very important to his autistic granddaughter. The man told Patch he is one of the residents who was displaced.

Fire departments from Cambridge, Newton, Belmont and Waltham helped battle the blaze. Volunteers brought pizza as fire crews wrapped up hoses.