Arson is suspected in a roaring three-alarm blaze at an empty Weymouth multifamily house last night that left three firefighters in the hospital.
"We are very suspicious at this point," said Weymouth Fire Chief Robert Leary at the scene of the blaze on Worster Terrace. "The police officer who responded first saw fire in the basement, and our first engine company thought the fire had spread in an unusual area of the first floor. There were several points of ignition."
He said the original call came in at 5:03 p.m. for "smoke in the area." Weymouth Police Department was first to arrive and realized that the multifamily home, on which sale papers were to be passed Tuesday, was on fire. Fire crews from Weymouth rushed to the scene and as they went inside to tackle the flames, three firefighters were injured.
One firefighter was taken to a local hospital and treated for chest pains. Another was treated for a knee injury while a third was treated for a shoulder injury.
Eyewitnesses described their feelings of dread as they saw paramedics wheel the brave Weymouth firefighters on stretchers to waiting ambulances.
"It was tragic to see. It was frightening. They are here to do a job and to help people and they are endangered," said Susan Hickey, 46, of nearby Prospect Street.
The firefighters were injured as the blaze rapidly spread and companies were being ordered to withdraw from the building.
Residents described the neighborhood as quiet.
??????We don??????t have a problem with break-ins or anything and I have lived here for 38 years,?????? said mother-of-three Loretta Morrison of Prospect Street.
Republished with permission from The Boston Herald
