• Chris Farrand

The Salvation Army Responds to 10 Alarm Cambridge, MA Fire

On the evening of Sunday, December 4th, Massachusetts Emergency Disaster Services responded to what began as a 4 Alarm fire in a densely populated neighborhood in Cambridge, MA. The alarms quickly elevated to a 10th Alarm as winds pushed the flames from building to building and even across streets.  As one resident said, '"Within a few minutes there were four or five houses on fire, along with a few cars in the street. Just like that.” Three Emergency Disaster Services mobile feeding canteens with crews from different parts of the state (New Bedford, Fitchburg, and Malden) were called in to a staging area, where we partnered with Boston Sparks to mobilize resources. Due to the narrow streets and 50+ fire trucks, first responders had to carry everything to the scene by hand and serve from portable tables, tents, and generator-run light towers, crossing streets with at least a foot of water due to the massive amounts being used to extinguish the fire.

Items served to rehydrate, fight the cold, and refuel included:

 

• 550 Hot Beverages
• 120 sandwiches
• 500 snacks
• 392 cups of soup    
• 395 Bottles of water and Gatorade

At the portable response stations, The Salvation Army also helped provide gloves for the cold, and towels for the first responders to wipe their faces from the soot and dripping water. They were on scene until Fire Department companies were released, and are on-call to help during the clean-up process as needed.

The Salvation Army has also been working to support the 60+ people that were at the shelter last evening providing temporary housing for those who had lost their homes and those who were waiting to find out what had been damaged. The Salvation Army provided breakfast this morning and the Cambridge Corps is working directly with the mayor to provide recovery assistance including vouchers, clothing, furniture, and continuing emotional and spiritual care.

Texting Cambridge to 71777 will allow opportunities for mobile donations for direct service to those impacted.