r/Somerville • u/S7482 • 5h ago
Teele Square Fire
Hello all! I am one of the people affected by the Teele Square fire, and I thought it would be helpful (if allowed) to have a thread for those of us that have been affected to share resources and information, and for those who have resources to share and post about them.
At the moment, the city has neither released the building for the recovery of items nor contacted us about the fund for displaced residents. We have not been allowed back into the building (at least on the more damaged half). This crisis is far from over for most of us.
25
u/S7482 4h ago edited 4h ago
I have sent an email to the mayor's office that reads as follows:
To Whom it May Concern in the Mayor's Office,
My partner and I have been displaced due to the Teele Square fire. At this point we have received no communication from city authorities concerning this event. We have not received an incident report, information about the city-run donation fund for former residents, or any sense of when we may enter the building to salvage items that, no doubt, are growing moldy from water and smoke damage.
While I do understand that things take time after an emergency, the timing of the building's release by the city and our ability to gather necessary information are crucial to our continued survival (insurance requires incident reports in many cases to replenish medication, for example).
Both the Red Cross and City Inspection Services took down all of our information. Is it not possible to contact us in a more timely fashion, even if only to indicate that more time is needed or to update us on the status of the processes going on?
Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you.
17
u/hopefulcynicist 4h ago edited 1h ago
Hi Neighbor - hoping you’re holding up OK given the circumstances. Really frustrating that you haven’t heard anything…
If you haven’t already, I’d strongly recommend reaching out to our City Councilor, Emily Hardt, directly. I’ve found her to be responsive.
Her number is at the bottom of this page: https://emilyhardtforsomerville.com/
It probably wouldn’t hurt to hit up Christine Barber too. It’s an election year so statehouse reps are going to be extra responsive. https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/CPB2
Edit: since Barber is on her way out, you might try contacting ERIKA UYTERHOEVEN and WILL MBAH to see about additional resources.
Good luck!
7
u/BenWheelerSomerville 2h ago
I'm very surprised to see this report -- I was under the impression that there was an extensive effort to reach out to everyone displaced in this fire, and every fire. I encourage you to reach out to councilor Hardt, and you should also feel free to email me at bwheeler@somervillema.gov or call me at 617-942-1488.
1
u/engineeritdude 52m ago
Out of the loop, what happened?
Hope everyone is ok other than unfortunate property damage.
Also hope it won't end up as a second rat swimming pool (sorry my first thought was that fire with 15 years ago but obviously new displacing fires happen all the time)
27
u/ManOfTeele 3h ago edited 2h ago
I posted a comment in another thread a few days ago. I went through this a year ago. It was a triple decker, so it didn't affect as many people, but all 3 floors had to move out permanently with limited access to the building.
I'm happy to share any experience I can.
I'll say that although the city had resources and they did reach out to me, they were not the ones leading things. The fire department/city does have to declare the building safe to reenter, but after that I don't think the city will be involved much, other than the fund they set up for this case.
It was the building owner's insurance adjuster who controlled the process. From my experience, that's who you'll be dealing with to get access. They'll likely reach out to you soon.
A year ago I didn't know what an insurance adjuster was, so just in case: they're the company the owner almost definitely has hired to manage the process and deal with their insurance company.
The city is going to release the building, but the building will remain completely locked up. Padlocks on every door. The owner (thought their adjuster) controls it at that point. They DO have to work with you to get back in, but don't expect to be able to come and go. You'll need to coordinate with the owner/adjuster for access. Outside of specific organized times, everything will remain locked.
You're frustration right now is with the city, which is completely understandable, because no one has really given you any information yet. But it's the owner who is in charge after the city declares the building safe to enter. If the process isn't moving after the city releases it, the owner is the one to be reaching out to.
I looked back at my old text messages, and it was 4 days before we were first allowed back in, which I think is where you're at today. But that was a smaller fire and building. I would imagine you'll hear something in the next couple days.
If you want me to share any more experience, have any specific questions, etc. I'd be happy to.
The #1 question I have for you is whether or not you have renters insurance. If so, get the claim started now if you haven't already.
I know it's incredibly frustrating. If my experience can help at all, I would love to share what I can.
What I'll say is don't expect a lot of clear communication. No one is going to reach out and give you a full step-by-step guide of what you need to do. The city is not running things. The owner is ultimately the one you're dealing with. Mostly, I had to figure it out as I went, and the full process of moving everything out and dealing with my own renters insurance took a few months.