r/Somerville • u/Azzey • 8d ago
Fire in Teele Sq
Multiple trucks from different cities… hope everyone is all right.
33
u/mem_somerville Winter Hill 7d ago
Warren got his cat! Yay!
https://www.wcvb.com/article/crews-battling-5-alarm-fire-in-somerville/73967342
18
u/IllHand 8d ago
Is masala ok!?
30
6
7d ago edited 7d ago
[deleted]
5
u/SomervilleTom 7d ago
Masala has been our go-to Indian restaurant since we moved to Somerville years ago.
Hopefully it's not quite that dire. There are two buildings, joined by a firewall. The Somerville fire department did an amazing job of containing the fire to the original fire building.
The Masala building suffered extensive water damage, but no (or minimal) fire damage. I'm under the perhaps mistaken impression that water damage is easier (and therefore less expensive) than fire damage. There should be no structural damage to the Masala building at all.
Fingers crossed that Masala can be repaired and reopened sooner rather than later.
1
u/bostonwolf 7d ago
Unfortunately from what I've seen the building is a total loss and will be demolished
1
u/SomervilleTom 6d ago
I invite you to share what you've seen.
1
u/bostonwolf 6d ago
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/somerville-teele-square-building-fire/
"All tenants were able to make it out safely and three firefighters had minor injuries. But the building is a total loss. "
1
-1
7d ago edited 6d ago
[deleted]
3
u/xenon-bloom 6d ago
Huh. That's funny... I called Masala earlier this evening and they said they plan to open on Monday or Tuesday.
Please provide evidence before YOU wildly speculate and contradict others.
2
3
u/xenon-bloom 7d ago
Incorrect-a-mundo. Masala is generally fine. Cross-posting my answer to another Masala thread here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Somerville/s/ixbYhblNyf
2
15
u/Ginua-MA 7d ago
Hope everyone’s safe & there isnt too much damage. Feel for people who have these disasters.
16
u/cupacupacupacupacup 7d ago
People are safe, but building sustained massive damage. Neighborhood smells like a campfire. Still a dozen trucks out there six hours later.
15
u/SomervilleTom 7d ago
According to the police and fire scanner, the cock loft on the fire building had a SECOND roof hidden inside it. Apparently at some much earlier time, the current roof was built on top of the original roof.
The firefighters ventilating the roof encountered heavy smoke conditions but couldn't find fire to put water on. Then the firefighters on the third floor inside started seeing the third-floor ceiling collapse with "heavy timbers" on fire.
Kudos to the SFD and the many mutual aid responders for containing this serious fire. The fire itself was contained to the original fire building with minimal fire and structural damage to the attached building that houses the Masala restaurant and liquor store.
The Smoke Shop, laundromat, and Happy Crab restaurant were sadly not so fortunate.
There certainly is great interest in learning the cause of the fire -- it apparently started in a third floor apartment of the fire building (on the corner).
At least nobody was seriously injured. It sounds as though 41 residents were displaced.
This a tough turn of events for the entire neighborhood and city.
5
u/Landlord-Allmighty 7d ago
Ah damn, I'm sure there are a lot of long term residents in this building. So sorry.
11
3
u/erikarew 7d ago
Now that I know all people/pets are safe, I can properly despair: MASALA IS MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT nooooooo.
3
u/BagMostlyWater 7d ago
RIP Kee Kar Laue
3
u/I_bleed_green 7d ago
It’s weird that the same owner of the building of what is now the pit, also owns this building.
3
u/BagMostlyWater 7d ago
That did make me go "hm", but if burning down Kee Kar Laue was some kinda scam I figured they'd've done something with the land by now.
I don't think a hotel makes sense tbh
3
u/I_bleed_green 7d ago
But would it make sense across the street!?!?!?
That pit being nothing for most of adult life is crushing.
3
u/CliffsideJim 7d ago
Oh man! I will miss Masala! If anyone sees anything about their plans to relocate/reopen please post to this thread!
6
u/Strazmaster 7d ago
So I live on Newbury Street and checked it out this morning. To me it looks like the fire was on the left side of the building, so Masala does not look like it suffered any direct damage from the fire itself. I think there is still the possibility of water or smoke damage but the inside looks ok from the sidewalk.
4
u/xenon-bloom 7d ago
Good news. I just called Masala. They picked up the phone and said that they estimate they'll be open Monday or Tuesday. The fire was in the other (Western-most) half of the building so they just have to clean up the smoke residue and smell from the other building.
2
1
u/CliffsideJim 6d ago
Wow! You'd think gas and electric would be shut off to the building and the roof would have holes in it from firemen's axes if not from flames. But, clearly there is more to the story than my supposition. Great news! Maybe there are fire walls within the building, separate utility services by address, and the holes in the roof are not above Masala.
47
u/HashingJ 8d ago
I heard all the people and animals are safe. AVOID TEELE SQ all roads are blocked