Summary of Fire Response and Relief Efforts for Wellington-Harrington Neighborhood Fire

At 2:53 p.m. on Saturday, December 3, 2016 Cambridge ECC transmitted Box 236 upon receiving numerous phone calls reporting several buildings on fire at Berkshire Street at Vandine Street.

Upon arrival the Incident Commander; Deputy Fire Chief Michael J. Morrissey, realized the severity of the situation and immediately began requesting additional resources by transmitting additional alarms. The initial fire building at 35-37 Berkshire Street collapsed soon after fire department arrival. In the next 1 hour and 7 minutes 10 alarms were transmitted bringing numerous firefighting resources to the scene.

Fire companies from Metrofire, the automatic mutual aid network in the greater Boston area arrived and were strategically placed to assist in the firefighting effort. An estimated 150 firefighters operated at the scene and approximately 3 million gallons of water were flowed during the fireground operations.

Before all was said and done a total of twenty-five fire departments either responded to the fire or covered vacant Cambridge Fire Stations.The Cambridge Fire Department reports that injuries to firefighting personnel were at a minimum. One non-Cambridge firefighter was transported to an area hospital and was released the next day and 5 police officers were transported for smoke inhalation.

The site was released to the Inspectional Services Department (ISD) on Sunday, December 4 at 9:00pm. A total of 18 properties were affected.

Impacted Buildings

On Sunday, the ISD office was opened and administrative staff was available to answer questions from the public. In addition, City building inspectors and housing inspectors were visiting the site helping tenants and landlords.

Fire severely damaged 25-27 Berkshire Street as well as 35 Plymouth Street. These buildings were razed by Monday. It is estimated that ten automobiles on the street suffered varying degrees of fire damage.

The dwellings at 28 and 30 Berkshire Street suffered significant damage and will require partial demolition. The former St. Patrick’s Church, known as St. Patrick’s Place suffered significant damage to a large portion of the structure as well as 11 automobiles in the garage which became submerged.

Other buildings in the area suffered varying degrees of damage and many remain uninhabitable.

Comcast Cable service and Eversource electrical services were restored to the neighborhood beginning on Sunday, December 4 and Verizon telecommunication were fully restored before the end of the week.

Both York Street and Berkshire Street have been power washed and street cleaned. Additional cleaning and utility paving will be required once the remaining utility work is complete, the buildings have been demolished and the debris has been removed and the burnt trees have been taken down and removed and the traffic department signs have also been replaced.

Fire Relief Efforts

On Saturday, Dec 3rd, City Staff established the online donation page for the Mayor’s Fire Relief Fund. To date the online page has raised over $700,000. Additionally, the city has received approximately $100,000 in donations at City Hall or through the mail.

So far, the City has given out $30,000 in gift cards, $82,200 in Checks, and $79,000 in Bank Cards. This totals $191,200 in distributions.
During the entire week of December 5, the City hosted a Disaster Relief Resource Center on the 2nd floor of Cambridge City Hall. This was an inter-agency effort and was staffed by over a dozen various agencies from the City and the Commonwealth, including the Red Cross.

On December 14, Governor Charlie Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito announced that individuals, families and businesses impacted by fire can apply for low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

During the week, 81 families and 167 individuals in the affected fire zone and in bordering streets were identified by the Red Cross. These 81 families registered and utilized services at the Cambridge Resource Center and the temporary shelter at Willow Street. The City will continue to work with these families in a variety of ways to support social and emotional support, school support/case management and housing needs.

The Cambridge Public Health Department (CPHD) coordinated with staff and volunteers to assist with counseling support needs for individuals and the community impacted by the fire. CPHD provided facts sheets to the Peace Commission and created a place a "fast track" protocol through the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) to schedule counseling appointments for affected residents.
Coordinating closely with the city, the Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) served as fire case manager for 24 children (12 families) rendered homeless by the fire, plus 10 students (7 families) who were evacuated but have now been able to return home.

Among CPS’s key priorities were ensuring that transportation to and from school would be provided while families sought shelter in temporary housing -- to minimize the educational impact on the students. CPS procured a yellow school bus to run a route between the hotels where families were housed, and arranged specialized transportation for any family who had to relocate out of the city during the immediate crisis. Daily updates between CPS and City departments allowed for the management of transportation needs with a minimum of disruption.

Meeting Housing Needs

Through one-on-one follow-up, the City and the Agencies helping to address the housing needs of the households displaced by the fire, identified 44 households needing permanent new housing.

On Friday, December 9, the City’s collaborative efforts resulted in 14 families receiving keys for new permanent housing in the City and as of Wednesday, December 21, that number increased to 30. The City is continuing to work with the additional households to find them permanent housing. Five of the 44 households identified as permanently displaced do not require assistance for finding new housing.

Links

• Mayor’s Fire Relief Fund
• 14 Families Displaced by December 3, 2016 Fire Receive Keys to New Housing in Cambridge
• 10 Alarm Fire
• Cambridge Disperses Over $87,000 Within Days of Fire
• Street Sweeping and Trash/Recycling Collection in Area Affected by Fire to Occur as Scheduled
• Cambridge Seeking to Identify Permanent Housing for Fire Victims
• City of Cambridge to Host Fire Recovery Resource Center; Buildings Sustain Serious Damage
• City Encourages Families and Individuals to Register with the Red Cross of Massachusetts