WALTHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - More than a dozen people were forced out of their homes Thursday after a fire spread to several buildings in Waltham, officials said.
Emergency crews were first called to the scene on Moody Street around 5:30 p.m. In all, officials said four buildings were damaged. Fifteen people were displaced.
“It literally punched me in the face,” Leandro Paola said of the thick smoke that at one point filled the neighborhood. “Just the scent of burning woods, it was ridiculous.”
Video shared with 7NEWS showed the entire back of one building engulfed in flames. The siding on one other building was visibly melted.
One woman in the area said she saw two of her neighbors, 12-year-old girls, go door to door as the flames grew to tell their neighbors to get out of their buildings.
“The house just caught fire super quick,” the woman said. “We saw it, just like paper, everything just started flying into the sky.”
Crews from Cambridge, Newton and Waltham ultimately worked together to put the fire out, with dozens of firefighters working to get people to safety and douse flames.
Several people were seen being taken away by paramedics.
Later speaking with reporters, Waltham Fire Chief Andrew Mullen said crews experienced heavy fire conditions as they responded.
“People were still inside. We were getting people out,” Mullen said. “They had to tackle the fire and full houses at the same time.”
As shock and sadness spread Thursday night, and despite the damage, there was a moment of thanks that no one was seriously hurt and no lives were lost in this Thanksgiving Day fire.
“It’s just sad,” said the woman who saw her young neighbors sounding the alarm. “I just hope these people find shelter for right now and I’m just glad that everyone’s OK because, you know, material things we can recover.”
Officials said one firefighter was injured and treated on the scene during this response. The firefighter is expected to be OK.
Though the fire had been extinguished, crews remained on scene around 9 p.m. Thursday. The Red Cross was also on scene to help people who were displaced.
Chief Mullen said the cause of the fire remained under investigation.
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