Some schools canceled classes in Chelsea on Monday after a huge, nine-alarm fire destroyed an abandoned four-story warehouse overnight.
Crews responding to the former commercial site on Forbes Street around midnight Monday found a building fully engulfed in flames. Crews used ladder trucks to conduct an exterior attack on the building, which eventually had the roof collapse into the basement.
About 200 firefighters from Chelsea, Belmont, Waltham, Brookline, and other communities worked together to extinguish the blaze.
Fire officials say the bulk of the fire was been knocked down and that crews would remain on site throughout the day to monitor hot spots.
“It’s a three-to-four-story old mill-style building. When they arrived, they had fire on all floors,” said Chelsea Fire Chief John Quatieri. “Thank God it wasn’t windy. If the wind was blowing in this direction, we would’ve had a much bigger problem.”
Commuter rail service was impacted in the area, with shuttle buses replacing trains between Chelsea and Swampscott on the Newburyport/Rockport Line, the MBTA said. As of 4:30 p.m., trains began running normally again.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Quatieri said some details just weren’t adding up.
“I would say anytime you have a building without power or any utilities, it tends to be suspicious,” Quatieri said.
Schools in the Mary C. Burke Elementary Complex, which includes the Berkowitz, Hooks, Kelly, and Solowski schools were closed Monday as a result. All other schools in the city remained open.
A demolition crew started knocking down what was left of the building Monday afternoon.
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
