Waltham Fire On South Street Amid Heat Sends 1 To Hospital

WALTHAM, MA — One person was sent to the hospital with burns and a cat was killed after a home housing International students who attend Brandeis caught fire Wednesday. As if the three-alarm fire wasn't enough, temperatures in Waltham were hovering close to 90 degrees that day.

Just after noon, a person at the home woke up from a nap and smelled smoke coming from a pillow that had apparently caught fire nearby. The resident told Patch they tried to get everyone out and called 911. In the process they suffered some burns, they told Patch. According to one person in the home at the time, the fire alarms did not go off.

"Please steer clear of the South Street area from Charles Street all the way down to Highland Ave," said Lt. Scott Perry, of the Waltham Fire Department. The roads are narrow and a number of trucks and fire apparatus are there.

Newton, Arlington, Cambridge and other community fire departments arrived to help.

Just before 1 p.m. crews were ordered to stay outside and off the roof to fight the fire, according to Perry.

"And you're dealing with a very hot day, and that complicates things," said Lt. Scott Perry of the Waltham Fire Department. "They're working to make sure everyone gets a break and stays hydrated."

It's unclear how many students lived in the house. One former resident of the home said the landlord did not allow them to return to the house for a week, and Brandeis has been helping to provide housing. But for a week our landlord did not let us into the house.