REVERE — Local and state fire officials are still searching for the cause of a five-alarm fire that destroyed a four-story apartment building on Franklin Avenue, left more than 120 people homeless, and injured four firefighters Sunday afternoon.
Residents on scene were watching as their home at 10 Franklin Ave. went up in smoke, with several relaying their belief the blaze started on the fourth floor. The fire raged for hours at the 36-condo building until it was finally declared under control late in the evening.
According to the state fire marshal’s office, a joint investigation into the cause is ongoing, but the fire is not considered suspicious. It is still unsafe to enter the building, which has been declared a total loss.
“An assessment needs to be made of the structural stability to determine if the building can be made safe to conduct a fire scene investigation,” Jennifer Mieth, a spokeswoman for the state fire marshal’s office, said in a statement.
“Arriving firefighters saw only smoke and no fire inside each of the fourth floor apartments leading investigators to believe the fire was in a space above the apartments and below the roof, which is now mostly gone,” Mieth said.
Revere Deputy Fire Chief Glen Rich said the fire could have started somewhere in the roof, which was flat and rubber, or it could have come up through the walls into the roof, meaning it could have been burning long before it was discovered.
The blaze burned through the roof and crews broke it down further by dumping massive amounts of water on top of the structure through a “surround and drown” strategy.
Mayor Brian Arrigo said in a Facebook post that the city is accepting donations in his office at City Hall for those impacted by the fire.
He said people should consider donating clothes, water bottles, non-perishable food, toiletries, diapers, baby formula, phone chargers, and any other essentials “to help assist our neighbors during this difficult time.”
The fire investigation is being conducted by Revere Fire and Police and State Police assigned to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
