Crime & Safety

Two More Fires Strike Somerville Wednesday Morning

One fire started in a car on Summer Street and spread to a house. The other fire occurred near Tufts University.

Update, 5 p.m.: Somerville Fire Chief Kevin Kelleher said both fires were still under investigation. He said the investigations would have to progress before he could say if Wednesday's fires were suspicious or not.

Each fire caused about $200,000 to $300,000 worth of damage, Kelleher said.

Asked about the number of fires this summer as compared to last summer, Kelleher said Somerville has "definitely had more this summer."

He was referring not to suspicious fire activity, but just "general activity."

"Four serious accidental fires [in one month] is not the norm," he said, referring to recent accidental fires on College Avenue, Banks Street, Belmont Street and Highland Avenue.

It's not uncommon for a community to see a spike in fire activity, Kelleher said.

Update, 11:30 a.m.:
At approximately 11 a.m., investigators from the Somerville Police Department, Somerville Fire Department and the state fire marshal's office were at the scene of the 313 Summer St. fire.

That fire started in a car that was parked in the driveway of 313 Summer St. The fire spread to the two-family home, damaging the back portion of the home.

According to NECN, investigators from the state fire marshal's office were also at 85 Bromfield Rd. to investigate that fire.

It's not know if either fire is considered suspicious, NECN reported.

The news network said no one was injured in either fire.

An earlier version of this article said the Bromfield fire was at 94 Bromfield St. That was according to the American Red Cross. In fact, the fire was at 85 Bromfield St. The correction has been made below.

ORIGINAL POST

Somerville firefighters battled two fires, simultaneously, early Wednesday morning, and the fires—one of which started in a car and spread to a home—displaced at least three people.

According to the Somerville Fire Department, firefighters responded to 85 Bromfield Rd., near Tufts University, at 5:32 a.m. for a fire that started on a porch and extended up to the first and second floor. It was a two-alarm fire.

The American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts said the fire was at a two-family home.

The Red Cross assisted two residents who lived in one of the units with food, clothing, shoes and comfort kits, which include toiletries. Those residents will be staying with friends. Residents from the other unit weren't at home, the Red Cross said.

At 5:46 a.m., firefighters responded to 313 Summer St. for a fire that started in a car and extended up the side of a house, according to the fire department. That was also a two-alarm fire.

The Red Cross said 313 Summer St. was another two-family home. The organization assisted one resident with food, clothing, shoes, comfort kits and smoke packs—a strong detergent that gets rid of smoke odors. That resident will be staying with friends.

Residents of the other unit were not at home, according to the aid organization.

The Red Cross was not aware of any injuries as a result of the fires.

Both fires are under investigation, according to the fire department.

Somerville has seen several fires this summer. At least three of them were caused by arson.

We will post more information about Wednesday morning's fires when it becomes available.


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.