Feb. 09--An electrical fire at a West End complex cut power to a pair of 23-story buildings, sending one to the hospital and forcing firefighters to evacuate a "couple dozen" people as a menacing snowstorm kicked into high gear, a fire official said.
A transformer fire in the basement of 8 Whittier Place knocked power out to that building and an adjacent high rise around 8:40 p.m., said Boston fire spokesman Steve MacDonald.
Firefighters doused the fire and confined the smoke to the basement, but as a precaution, several dozen people were led from their apartments and into the lobby of one of the buildings, MacDonald said.
Roughly an hour after the fire, the buildings were running on emergency power, he said. According to the department's official Twitter feed, there were also initial reports of people stuck in elevators.
"We evacuated some people, but we also told people to stay in place," MacDonald said, adding that Nstar officials were en route.
One woman was taken to a Boston hospital with smoke inhalation, though McDonald said her condition may partly be due to a per-existing medical condition.
Copyright 2013 - Boston Herald
