Something going on in Chelsea?

[FlyingRon]

Just struck 4th alarm on Eastern Ave.

[FlyingRon]

Three Homes Burning In Chelsea

(CBS4) CHELSEA Firefighters in Chelsea are battling a four alarm fire in a two family home.

The fire broke out shortly after 4 p.m. at 450 Eastern Avenue near the Revere line. The flames jumped to two other homes.

There are no reports of injuries.

Police on the scene were told everyone is out of the home.

[FlyingRon]

Pulled firefighters out of one of the exposures, structural failure imminant.

[clancyxdogg]

Something going on in Chelsea?

There's always something going on in Chelsea!

Good job by the Chelsea FD, especially in this heat. Here's the story.

[hwoods]

Uhhh........

Triple Deckers???

[DeputyChiefGonzo]

Triple Deckers???

Harve.. the term tripler decker aka three decker is a New England thing....

Triple deckers are wood frame apartment buildings, with one apartment to each floor. They usually are balloon frame construction and have flat roofs.

Each floor has a porch front and rear, and with the flat roof gives the house the appearance of being built in "decks".

These homes are built on small lots, and due to their size are in close proximity to one another... as we say here in New England..

"Fiahs in three deckahs give you on hell of an exposezhah problem..."

[FlyingRon]

My great grandma lived in a triple decker. I was just listening to the situation on FireFeeds.com. It's sort of nostaligic for me listening to the North of Boston operations as my Grandfather (The reason I entered the fire service) was district chief in Lynn.

I was quite impressed how they handle mutual aid on big fires (especially on the, everybody out, external ops only, structural collapse imminent call) since all my direct experience is in a major large are consolidated department (and we had a few mutual aid from equally large neighboring jurisdictions).

All I really know about Chelsea is we studied the "Conflageration" there from the NG fire back in the seventies (I think).

[clancyxdogg]

Do other parts of the country not have triple deckers, or do they just call them something else?

I guess I never realized it was a local thing. I believe it's "triple decker" from at least Manchester, NH to Provincetown, RI.

[DaSharkie]

I have seen a few triple deckahs in Portland. Most of the old New England mill towns are full of these things.

I know several cities and towns even have double deckahs, from where the third floor burnt off and some of the structure was able to be salvaged.

They are all balloon frame construction and once a fire gets in the walls from the basement or lower floors, it is all over.

Boston had a big conflagration in the 1970s that Leo Stapleton wrote about in one of his books. I believe it was on Bellflower St. if memory serves me right. Some good pictures of that fire in the book too.

I saw a Chronicle episode a few years ago where these individual apartments in a triple deckah are sold as "co-ops" and easily sell for $200,000+.

[lieutleroy140]

Sharkie, not to nitpick, but the Bellflower St. fire was in 1964, I believe. It involved at least 19 triple deckers. (I am a HUGE Leo fan, have all his books, signed first editions.) Anyways, we have a smattering of them even here in SW CT. Bridgeport, the city next to where I work, and a major industrial center in the first half of the last century, is still loaded with them, and they still burn like all hell. We have a small portion of them where I work, and also where I live, up in the "Naggaduk" Veeleey. (Naugatuck Valley,for those scoring at home). OK, talk to yas later.