A three-alarm fire tore through a three-story triple-decker in Dorchester on Sunday afternoon, chewing up the back of the building and leaving the roof and third-floor rear deck badly burned. The blaze, which started just before 3 p.m. at the rear of the house, triggered a quick escalation from firefighters working to shield surrounding homes. Photos released by officials show heavy damage to the rear porches and decking.
According to WCVB, the Boston Fire Department said the fire broke out at the back of 359 Geneva Ave just before 3 p.m. Sunday and was declared a three-alarm incident. WCVB published Boston Fire Department photos showing the home’s roof and third-floor rear deck almost completely charred, with a back porch that had nearly collapsed. Officials said the fire spread to a neighboring home as crews worked to protect nearby structures while knocking down the main body of the blaze.
How crews fought the blaze
Fires in triple-deckers are notoriously quick to grow, and departments often ramp up their response early because open rear porches and interior stairwells let flames race upward through the building. Industry guidance from Fire Engineering notes that features like balloon framing, open porches and shared cocklofts can turn a fire that starts in one unit into a full multi-floor emergency. Those design quirks are a key reason chiefs commonly call in extra ladder and engine companies fast and use exterior hose streams to protect neighboring buildings while firefighters check inside for any fire extension.
A string of recent triple-decker blazes
Sunday’s incident is part of a recent run of fast-moving triple-decker fires in Boston, arriving just one day after a separate three-alarm blaze at a vacant three-family home in Savin Hill. The Savin Hill blaze also climbed to multiple alarms to keep flames from jumping to nearby structures. The recent pattern has also drawn comparisons to a May triple-decker fire on Treadway Road that collapsed a roof and led to a firefighter’s death, as reported by WHDH.
What residents should know
Officials are once again emphasizing the basics of fire safety at home: working smoke alarms on every level, a clear escape plan with two ways out of each room, and a designated meeting spot outside. The American Red Cross advises testing smoke alarms every month, replacing any unit more than 10 years old and practicing a home fire drill that gets everyone out in two minutes. Investigators have asked anyone who has video or photos from Sunday’s scene to contact authorities, and this story will be updated as more information becomes available.
