Busy Day in Boston

Boston Firefighters were kept busy today dealing with a chemical incident at a gas station and a 4 alarm fire in a block of stores. Making matters worse is the record heat reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit in many cities and towns. I was hot and uncomfortable just photographing the scenes so you can imagine how the Firefighters felt.

The chemical incident occurred about 1:30pm on the Boston/Dedham line at the king Petroleum station on Washington Street. The dry nitrogen fire suppression system activated suddenly covering cars and customers with the chemical. 9 people were evaluated for respiratory difficulties with 3 being transported to local hospitals. A car wash and an adjacent private home were also effected. Dry nitrogen is primarily baking powder and is non toxic but can cause some temporary breathing problems.

The fire occurred just about 5pm in the Allston section of Boston in a block of stores. This section of Harvard Avenue has been the scene of many spectacular fires over the years. Lt. Feeney of Engine 41 was first on scene and reported fire showing from a restaurant. Lt. Feeney, affectionately known as "Tapper" is a good friend and a fantastic Firefighter. Knowing it was serious was enough for me to venture back out into the heat and respond to the scene. The fire damaged a good portion of the block including 2 restaurants, a nail salon and an auto body shop. It went to 4 alarms bringing about 90 Firefighters to the scene and many were overcome with heat exhaustion. One Firefighters was transported to the hospital.

So a busy day for the guys and me. I got some sunburn but being irish I need the color!