Electrical Circuit Short Sparked Charlestown 6-Alarm: Boston Fire

CHARLESTOWN, MA — After a six-alarm fire displaced 20 and burned through a Bunker Hill Street apartment complex and laundromat, Boston Fire officials say a short-circuit was the cause.

According to fire investigators, an electrical short-circuit in the ceiling of the laundromat there, Monument Laundromat, sparked the blaze, which rapidly climbed to six alarms and demanded hours of intense firefighting amid bitterly cold temperatures that froze equipment and draped the area in a thick coat of ice.

Charlestown Fire: Bunker Hill Street Blaze Strikes 6 Alarms [Photos, Video]

The laundromat in question was featured briefly in Ben Affleck's Charlestown-based heist thriller, "The Town."

Boston Fire's initial damage estimate was around $2 million.

Photo courtesy Boston Fire