The fire extended to the upper floors from the basement. Apparently, welders were working on the adjacent property to install a railing when the fire ignited and spread to the basement where the two firefighters were trapped and later found. Winds from the Charles River in the rear of the structure were from 30 to 45 mph.
BOSTON, MA, MARCH 26, 2014 – Boston Fire Lieutenant Edward J. Walsh Jr. and Firefighter Michael R. Kennedy died in a fire that was ignited by welders working next door. The fire occurred in the Back Bay section of the city and required nine alarms to control. The firefighters had made their way to the basement and became trapped, then called a Mayday. Numerous firefighters operating and on their way to assist the two firefighters in the basement were injured when an apparent backdraft blew many of them down the front stairs of the five-story, brownstone-type occupied structure.
