5-alarm fire engulfs Dorchester building

DORCHESTER, Mass. (WHDH) -- Flames shot through the roof of a triple-decker building on Fairmont Street in Dorchester Thursday.

Firefighters battled thick black smoke as the fire spread through the building.

“When I came out I heard an alarm going, but I didn’t think anything of it, I just thought that somebody was burning some breakfast or something and it just happened so fast, in a matter of minutes, it was like this,” said James Armond.

Armond’s mother was asleep at the time; his son and his brother were also in the home.

“I just opened the door and the smoke was -- it was just too much. We just had to, got everybody out real fast. I don’t know, it’s crazy,” said Armond.

The building’s construction created a firestorm. Firefighters poured water on the flames through the windows because the building was too unstable to go inside.

Thursday’s heat didn’t help either.

“The guys are really getting beat today with 70 lbs. of gear on in this hot weather. It’s a really tough fire. We’ve been rotating them as fast as we can, but we just can’t seem to keep up with it,” said Chief Robert Dunderdale of the Boston Fire Department.

It took firefighters 3.5 hours to put out the five-alarm blaze.

Residents struggled to negotiate streets that were filled with gushing water, but families were together and Armond was just glad he was around to help.

“[I don’t feel like a hero], that’s my mom, I was at the right place at the right time, that’s all,” said Armond.

Five firefighters and two civilians were taken to the hospital, none of the injuries were life threatening.

Firefighters were still on the scene Thursday evening. The lack of wind helped firefighters keep the flames from spreading to the buildings located on both sides of the fire.

The fire caused about $300,000 worth of damage. The Red Cross is assisting the families displaced by the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.