Tenants homeless after Chinatown building evacuated

BOSTON -- Tenants of a Chinatown building remain homeless after they were evacuated due to concerns about the building's structural integrity.

Fire officials say there is no imminent danger of collapse, but it is not safe for tenants to stay in the building. Police remained on scene Thursday to ensure that no one made it back inside.

Firefighters responded to a fire alarm at 25 Harrison Avenue in Chinatown on Wednesday, but found no fire. Instead, crews called for a building inspector.

The 5-story building was vacant on the first two floors, but floors three through five were occupied with 40 to 45 residents.

Firefighters were called to the rooming house and found severe hazards: A fire protection system that didn’t seem to be working and numerous building code violations.

“Over the course of years there were some columns taken out in the center of the building, which means you have unsupported span in the middle of the building,” said Dep. Chief Steve Dunbar of the Boston Fire Department.

“I ran out to safety worried there was a fire,” said Yuequn Lin, a tenant.

The owner said that when he bought the complex three years ago, he didn’t know of any problems. He says he didn’t remove any beams and hasn’t made any changes.

“That is what the fire department said, but we never move anything,” said Alex Seto, the building’s owner.

The three-level rooming house has 11 rooms per floor, each shared with a bath and kitchen. Tenants said they pay about $600 a month.

On Wednesday night tenants were allowed inside to grab some belongings before boarding a bus and spending a night at a hotel.

On Thursday, they met with city leaders to discuss what is going on and if they will be allowed to go back home. Fire officials say the owner will not be able to reopen the building until he brings everything up to code.

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