The vacant half of a duplex building that should have been on Boston’s new list of potentially dangerous properties was burned during a two-alarm blaze over the weekend.
The fire broke out at the vacant 16 Chelsea Street early Saturday morning and spread to the other side to displace 13 adults and three children. The fire caused $500,000 worth of damage and caused minor injuries to two firemen battling the blaze.
The home was the scene of another two alarm blaze earlier this year but was not inspected by the City during its crackdown on firetraps and abandoned or vacant properties.
The fire began in the vacant half of 16 Chelsea and then spread to the occupied half where adults and children lived.
Last month, Inspectors from the City of Boston, Fire Marshals and a special unit from the Boston Police examined the outside and inside of nearly 15 homes in Eastie during Mayor Thomas Menino’s crackdown on firetraps.
Following the dangerous blaze that destroyed an old warehouse in Roxbury Menino vowed to get tough on what he considers dangerous properties in Boston which included these 15 Eastie properties.
Menino created an abandoned property task force. The task force is charged with monitoring these potentially dangerous properties in an effort to ensure their safety and the safety of the general public. If owners do not comply or make the necessary repairs ordered by the city, Menino vowed to take them to court.
However, 16 Chelsea St., with a fire already once this year and half of the building vacant, did not make the cut.