Heavy flames and thick smoke roared through two triple-deckers on Union Street in Southbridge early Wednesday morning, threatening to catch a third on fire.
“I started knocking on everybody’s door, knocking on the windows, get out, get out there’s fire, fire, fire!” said a neighbor who helped others escape.
The fire was first reported at 3:25 a.m. Thankfully, the smoke alarms activated and the roughly 30 people inside the apartments that burned got out safely. One firefighter suffered a hand injury battling the blaze and was taken to UMass Memorial Health -- Harrington Hopsital for evaluation.
"Our hearts go out to the families who lost their homes today" Southbridge Fire Chief Paul Normandin said. "This is a devasting loss for them and our community. We are working with town offices and the Red Cross of Massachusetts to support the displaced residents in their time of need. At the same time, I want to emphasize the vital importance of working smoke alarms here. This was a fast-moving fire in the dead of night. Without working smoke alarms alerting people the danger, we would be having a very different conversation"
But neighbors, who were too afraid for their own safety to show their faces, say they believe the fire was intentionally set by someone they caught on camera lurking in back of the three-deckers.
“I just heard my dogs going crazy so we went and we looked at the cameras and he was facing the camera so we caught him right on camera,” said one witness. “He showed up like around 1:58 and like around 3 o’clock he just threw something at the building and the whole building caught fire.”
They’ve turned that video over to police.
Normandin stopped short of calling the fire suspicious but did say it looks like the back side of the triple-decker closest to Cross Street is where the fire may have started.
"We have the investigation team from the Fire Marshal’s Office coming out, and we also have our own Southbridge Fire Investigation Unit on scene working those particular claims," he said,
That has people living on this street concerned for their own safety.
“It’s scary because you think what about, you know, what if that happens to us next?” Maritza Figueroa, who lives across the street said.
The fire was declared under control around 6:15 a.m. Normandin said Southbridge police and fire and the State Fire Marshal's Office are investigating the cause.
