Crime & Safety

Cat May Have Saved Woman's Life in Monday Morning Winter Hill Fire

A fire at 130 Sycamore St. displaced at least six people and sent one woman to the hospital with smoke inhalation.

A woman who fell asleep on the couch with a cigarette was woken up by her cat early Monday morning, moments before her apartment was engulfed in flames, according to Deputy Chief Jim Luccia of the Somerville Fire Department.

The woman made it out of the apartment and was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital for some smoke inhalation, Luccia said. At least six other people were displaced by the fire, which struck 130 Sycamore St., according to the American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts.

Luccia said firefighters responded to the fire at 2:26 a.m. The third floor of the three-story multi-family apartment building was ablaze. "They had heavy fire and smoke showing," Luccia said. "All three rooms [on the third floor] suffered heavy fire damage."

Find out what's happening in Somervillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

According to the Red Cross, five units in the apartment building were affected by the fire. The Red Cross provided two adults with a hotel stay and emergency funds for food, clothing and shoes. A family of four was also provided with emergency funds for food, clothing and shoes, the Red Cross said, adding that even more people could ultimately be displaced by the fire.

The first and second floors of the building suffered water damage, Luccia said.

Find out what's happening in Somervillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The fire caused well over $100,000 worth of damage, and Monday morning there was significant damage was visible to the third floor and roof. The lawn was littered with charred belongings, such as a chair and electronics.

As of Monday morning, the cat was doing okay.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.