4-Alarm Fire Destroys Wayland Business Plaza Along Route 27

WAYLAND, MA — A four-alarm fire devastated a commercial plaza along Main Street in the Cochituate area Tuesday evening, severely damaging several businesses and leaving at least one firefighter injured.

The fire broke out after 4 p.m. at the plaza that houses Liberty Pizza, International Auto Body and Town Cleaners. The fire was focused on the International Auto Body section of the plaza, causing the shop's roof to collapse. Local residents started a GoFundMe fundraiser during the fire for the auto body shop's owner, Joe Gagliardi.

"The first arriving companies found fire and heavy smoke showing from the rear of the building, which was occupied at the time. Everyone was able to make it out of the building on their own power," the town said in a news release. "Due to multiple explosions inside the building, Wayland Firefighters adopted a defensive posture, battling the fire from outside the building while working to project two other adjacent commercial properties."

Firefighters from across the region responded to the blaze, and one Wayland firefighter suffered an injury during the incident.

Wayland Fire Chief Neil McPherson said in news release firefighters encountered explosions and arcing electrical wires, complicating the process of putting out the fire. Even as serious as the fire was, fire walls helped keep flames from damaging the shouldering businesses, the town said.

Wayland closed Main Street (Route 27) just south of East Plain Road during the fight.

Firefighters from Sudbury, Sherborn, Framingham, Lincoln, Weston, Marlborough and Concord all either helped fight the fire or provided mutual aid in Wayland.