Boston Firefighters Say No Concern of Chemicals in Building After Fire

Photo Credit: Boston Fire Department

Boston firefighters remained at the scene Thursday of what had sparked into a 5-alarm fire Wednesday night at the former Armstrong Pharmaceuticals building on Lagrange Street in West Roxbury.

The fire broke out around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, and officials initially expressed concern over the potential of hazardous chemicals inside the abandoned building that may have been released into the air from the smoke, but fire officials later said chemicals had been removed from the building prior to the incident, according to MyFoxBoston. The building, which was considered to be a total loss from the fire, was used to manufacture asthma inhalers, according to the report.

The building had been abandoned for several years and was already considered to be a hazard; the Boston Fire Department said that it was deemed a “posted building,” meaning the building had no sprinkler system and that it had been unsecured and was unfit for firefighters enter, leaving them to battle the blaze from outside.

Boston Fire Commissioner Joseph Finn said that a rear wall had collapsed, as had the roof of the building, and that the point of origin may have been in the rear, according to WHDH.

No injuries were reported at the scene Wednesday night and residents nearby were not asked to evacuate the area, according to the Boston Globe.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.