9-Alarm Fire Finally Out At East Boston Casket Factory

BOSTON, MA — The fire is finally out - but it took some 200 firefighters and seven hours to battle the nine-alarm blaze at an East Boston casket factory, a fire the mayor called the largest he's seen during his tenure.

At 10:30 p.m., some seven and a half hours after they were called to the fire, officials said the flames were put out and crews were just making sure there were no hot spots. City officials said residents were allowed to return to their homes.

The fire broke out about 3 p.m. at the New England Casket Company on Bennington Street and quickly raged out of control. The flames rose so high they were clearly visible from the Winthrop Parkway about a mile away. For those near the smoke, an acrid smell permeated the area, thick with chemicals that stung the eyes. Nearby residents had to be evacuated, with many taking shelter in a nearby school. Police and some firefighters walked some streets in the Orient Heights neighborhood telling people to avoid the smoke.

Fire officials said five people were injured. Two Boston police officers suffered smoke inhalation, while two firefighters were treated for exhaustion. A Chelsea firefighter also suffered a leg injury.

The MBTA Blue Line was shut down between Orient Heights and Wonderland, and shuttle buses were brought in to provide service in both directions, according to MBTA officials.

"This is the biggest fire I've seen in this city as mayor," Mayor Marty Walsh said Friday evening.

Fire Chief Joseph Finn said firefighters struggled to cope with low water pressure, and that the building's highly flammable contents added to their difficulties. The building was packed with lumbed, barrels of chemicals and packages of sawdust.

New England Casket Co., owned and managed by the Tobia family, is housed in an industrial building at 1141 Bennington St. According to its website, the company's first shop opened near Maverick Square some 77 years ago, and the firm moved to its present location after World War II.

The fire appears to have started around 3 p.m. and quickly escalated. By 5:30 p.m., crews were told to watch out for hazardous smoke and to wear masks and keep their hoods up.

Families, meanwhile, who lived in homes along Faywood Street, Orient Avenue and Gladstone Street grabbed what they could, and jumped in cars or walked out of the smokey zone with shirts wrapped around their mouths for protection from the smoke bringing high level of toxins from the factory with them.

Police officers blocking Bennington Street to foot and car traffic wore painters masks to protect themselves.

"This is crazy," said a UPS driver who was attempting to make his rounds to a passerby. "You can't see in front of you."

According to early scanner reports, the flames were most intense in the truss roof of the two-story building, near the HVAC Unit. The situation became so dangerous that all firefighters were ordered off the roof, then out of the building.

Fire officials said the sprinklers in the building were ineffective because the fire started above them.

Neighboring communities including Brookline, Chelsea and Cambridge helped cover Boston fire districts while their crews worked to put out the flames.

The 35,532-square-foot building was last assessed at $1,329,658, according to city records.

Jayne Biagiotti, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 60 years, said her brother used to work at the factory, and she remembers thinking at one point that any fire at the company could easily get out of control.

"I said if the Casket Company ever catches fire, it's gonna be a big fire," she said from the Bennington Street sidewalk around the corner from her home. "But oh my gosh, I didn't expect this."

The building was a landmark, she said.

"You give directions and you use it as a reference point," she said, adding that it was where neighborhood kids used to go when they needed wood to build a derby car.

"Now it's gone. It makes me so sad. I hope they rebuild."

Commissioner ⁦@ChiefJoeFinn⁩ with ⁦@BostonSparks⁩, thanks for all the support to it is greatly appreciated . We have a long night ahead pic.twitter.com/8TVdZpCQVM
— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) March" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/BostonFire... 16, 2019

Commissioner Finn is now in charge a 5th alarm has been ordered pic.twitter.com/T1pExrHLKT
— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) March" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/BostonFire... 15, 2019

The fire rages on pic.twitter.com/BjVTKsuY7P
— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) March" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/BostonFire... 15, 2019

pic.twitter.com/FbJTNaRiJU
— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) March" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/BostonFire... 15, 2019

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Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).