REVERE — A two-alarm fire ripped through a multi-family home on Central Avenue early Monday morning, leaving five people homeless.
Revere fire crews responded to 81 Central Ave. shortly after 4 a.m. and found heavy fire showing from back of the building, and quickly struck a second alarm, Revere Fire Capt. Tom Todisco said.
Five people from the house and five more people from 79 Central Ave. next door, which also sustained fire damage, were able to escape without injuries. Red Cross is working with the 10 displaced residents to find temporary housing, Todisco said.
The pet dogs and cats were able to get out of the house, but a caged bird perished in the fire, Todisco said.
Todisco said fire crews were on scene from a little after 4 a.m. to about noon, and the blaze took about four hours to extinguish.
“(There was) just too much fire to control and (crews) concentrated on saving the buildings next door,” Todisco said. “We did respond to the rear of the fire building and tried to knock down the fire back there. It took a good four hours to put out (and) the roof collapsed. It was difficult to get water on those hot spots.”
Todisco said the house appears to be a complete loss, but that determination still has to be made by the building inspector. There was heavy fire in the back of the building on the back porches and roof area area, but the origin and cause of the fire is still under investigation, he said.
Assisting Revere Fire were crews from Chelsea and Massport. The Everett and Malden Fire departments covered the Revere station during the blaze.
