Cigarette blamed for Mass. fire injuring 2 firefighters

By Laura Crimaldi
The Boston Herald

SOMERVILLE, Mass. — A three-alarm blaze in Somerville that featured two dramatic ladder rescues and landed two firefighters in the hospital on Sunday was sparked after a cigarette ignited a couch on the triple-decker's front porch, according to investigators.

"We're looking at an accidental careless disposal of smoking materials on a couch on the porch," said Somerville Fire Chief Kevin Kelleher. "When you're outside you should be using outside furniture."

One Somerville firefighter was kept overnight at Winchester Hospital, where he was treated for heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation, Kelleher said.

A second jake was treated and released from Massachusetts General Hospital Sunday night for the same conditions, Kelleher said.

Two residents, Elizabeth Barnes and Matthew Chang, were rescued by firefighters from the third story. Barnes was taken to MGH where she was treated and released for smoke inhalation. Chang declined medical attention.

The 6:30 p.m. fire displaced nine people and caused $400,000 in of damage, Kelleher said. Another $25,000 in damage was sustained at a neighboring home, where siding melted as from the heat, he said.

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