Costly Cigarette: Dorchester Fire Damages Estimated at Half-Million Dollars

BOSTON, MA—Nine people and one infant were rendered homeless Tuesday, after their Sawyer Avenue home caught fire under a burning sun in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood.

The Boston Fire Department said it arrived at the 87 Sawyer Ave. home, near the Downer Avenue cross-street, close to 1 p.m. Shortly before 3 p.m., the fire department said the blaze was out. According to the fire department, one family was in the process of moving into the four-apartment home when the fire broke out Tuesday.

It caused roughly $500,000 worth of damages to the home, but no resident injuries, Boston Fire said. All that, because someone carelessly disposed of smoking material on the first floor porch, according to fire investigators.

The fourth-alarm fire burned at the three-story home, as afternoon temperatures in Boston crept toward 93 degrees. BFD reported heavy fire, and pictures showed black smoke pouring from the building.

It's one in a series of large fires flaring up in the city on top of Boston's ongoing heat wave. The hot temperatures make the fires all the more challenging to knock down, compounding the tough work of firefighting with higher potential for heat exhaustion and dehydration.

One Boston firefighter was treated and transported to the hospital due to heat exhaustion, as of about 2:15 p.m. Tuesday.

The fire Tuesday was so hot, the Boston Fire Department said, it melted the siding of the home next door. That damage, too, will be costly, according to the fire department.

Patch will update this breaking story. Last updated at 3 p.m.

>> Images via Boston Fire Department