Cat 'Booze,' Owner Escape House Fire In Belmont

BELMONT, MA — No one is injured and Trapelo Road at Belmont Street is back open after firefighters put out a two alarm fire at a home there Friday morning.

A fireball of flames poured out of the second floor of a two-story home on Trapelo Road Friday morning just before 10 a.m., and moments later passersby were banging on doors and yelling for anyone inside to get out. One neighbor ran over with a fire extinguisher in an attempt to prevent the flames from spreading. That quickly proved futile. Dispatchers said at least nine people called to report the fire. And many more stopped to see if they could help when they saw the dark smoke.

One person was home at the time, but he and his cat, Booze, got out OK. There are seven others who live in the two apartments there and who will be displaced.

"Pretty overwhelmed at this point. Luckily, we live downstairs,"said Matthew Swansey, one of the men who live there but wasn't home at the time.

Swansey said a couple new people just moved in upstairs during the past few weeks.

His roommate Bryant Jenkins was the only one home and heard the fire alarm beeping and thought it might be burnt popcorn in the kitchen. Then, when he heard crackling he knew it was something else.

"I popped into the kitchen and saw some heavy smoke and realized this was something bigger than I could control," Jenkins told Patch, Booze in a cat carrier by his feet.

Jenkins, who just moved to the home a couple years ago, grabbed his computer and the black and white cat and was met by an off-duty firefighter knocking on his door.

Lt. David Toomey was passing by and saw the smoke and stopped and tried to make sure everyone was out, knocking on doors and windows.

"We may work certain hours, but we are never off duty," Belmont Fire Chief David Frizzell told Patch.

After Jenkins made it out he stood outside watching as Belmont firefighters worked to put out the fire, which broke out just before 10 a.m. across from the Oakley Country Club near the corner of Trapelo and Belmont Street.

By 10:30 a.m. crews, which included Cambridge and Arlington, were working to put out the flames that had spread from the porch to the second story kitchen to the attic.

The fire officials put early damage estimates at $100,000 at least. The property was last assessed at $875,000.

Frizzell said he wanted to thank so many residents for calling in the fire and for the Boston Sparks volunteers for having water and supplies on hand for crews working the fire.

Jenkins said neighbors down the road, Rita and Dan Carpenter, offered to take Booze for a little bit while he relocates.

"Shout out to Rita and Dan," he said. "I would be in a more difficult spot without them."

Check out this video of the firefighters at work: