Massachusetts firefighters battled oppressive heat and humidity along with heavy flames as they worked to put out a massive seven-alarm fire Tuesday.
The fire erupted at a home in Revere, and crews encountered flames and smoke shooting through the roof when they reached the scene, WHDH-TV reports. Continually shifting winds also caused the flames to spread to at one other nearby house.
The heat and humidity put a strain on firefighters as they struggled to stay cool in temperatures that hovered in the 90s with a heat index over 100 degrees. Several firefighters were treated at the scene for heat exhaustion.
“It can’t get any worse, it’s getting hotter, and we had a lot of guys going down,” Revere Assistant Fire Chief James Cullen told WFXT-TV. “A lot of people had to bail out of there. It’s intense heat and … the humidity is keeping the smoke down, so even down here at the command post, everyone is enveloped in smoke.”
Although firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion, no civilian injuries have been reported.
Crews were assisted by residents in the area who brought water to help the firefighters cool off.
"I went and I bought all the water I could from 7-11 and carried it over, and my son's been going back and forth to whatever store just getting any liquids he can get," resident Theresha Brinig told WCVB-TV. "These guys, they can't do it by themselves. They need somebody to watch them. They take care of us, so we've got to take care of them."
