Students learn real-life lesson in fire safety
Fire officials are warning those who recently moved to a new home to be prepared for the worst in the aftermath of an early morning fire in the Fenway neighborhood yesterday.
Residents of 90 Westland Ave. said they initially weren’t sure what to make of the alarms going off just after 2 a.m. until they started to smell smoke.
That prompted a warning from firefighters.
“Reminder to the 1,000’s of students in Boston. Take fire safety seriously — have an escape plan — keep fire escapes and exits clear of bikes, etc.,” the department posted on its Twitter page.
About 40 people, many of them college students from nearby Northeastern University and the Berklee College of Music, were displaced because of the three-alarm blaze. It could be months before all of the apartments become inhabitable again.
There were no injuries from the fire, but there was a significant amount of damage to the six-story building that is also home to Cappy’s Pizza & Subs, a popular late-night stop for students.
Suzie Burke, a Northeastern sophomore from Maine, had just moved into her new apartment three days ago.
She spent yesterday morning filling large duffel bags with what remained in her fifth-floor apartment.
“The computer and the TV got a little wet, but our bedrooms are OK,” she said.
Burke will stay with her boyfriend who lives on-campus while other arrangements are made. However, classes start tomorrow.
“We were able to get out and the cat was able to get out,” she said, standing near her belongings. “Everything else is replaceable.”
