By Jessica Van Sack
The Boston Herald
Copyright 2007 Boston Herald Inc.
BOSTON — City inspectors slapped a South End apartment complex with a series of safety citations after its blocked-off fire escapes left residents trapped inside the burning five-story building yesterday, forcing a dramatic rooftop rescue.
Torey Parham, 25, was visiting his son at the building yesterday when the fire broke out at about 1 p.m. He rushed with 4-year-old Joshua out the apartment door upon hearing the fire alarm, but the smoke was too thick to continue, so he turned to the fourth-floor fire escape.
“I tried to go down, but there was these wood boards covering the fire escape,’' said Parham, a Web site designer.
So Parham braced for a possible building collapse as he clutched his son and waited for firefighters to arrive.
At the 89 East Canton St. scene, city workers said construction crews were using the fire escapes as a staging area for major renovation on the exterior of the building, which is covered by scaffolding.
Steve Lodi, regional director of building manager Hallkeen Management, said he couldn’t comment.
District Fire Chief John T. Coppney said firefighters rescued four people from the roof who couldn’t get down their fire escape.
No one was injured in the fire, which started on the first floor and investigators say was unintentional, said Boston Fire Department spokesman Scott Salman. Salman said smoke was billowing from the building as firefighters arrived, and that the blocked fire escapes made for the dangerous rescue.
Inspectional services issued violations for the blocked fire escapes and the fire department issued a citation that could carry fines if the building does not comply with safety codes.
“I was angry,’' said Erika Robinson, 25, who was not home at the time of the blaze. “It makes me just really mad - I thought of if I was there by myself, what would I have done?’'