Three people were injured – one seriously – in a three-alarm fire at a Reed Street apartment building late Monday night.
Fire Chief Charles Foley said firefighters from Engine 4 rescued one man from the ground-floor apartment where the fire began.
“They located one man on the floor in the apartment where the fire started and brought him out of the building,” Foley said.
The man suffered serious burns and was transported by ambulance to Massachusetts General Hospital, the chief said.
A mother and child suffered smoke inhalation and were taken by ambulance to Milton Hospital, Foley said.
No names of the victims were available early this morning.
Firefighters responded to reports of alarms sounding and heavy smoke at 27-29 Reed St. at 11:08 p.m. Monday. There are 12 apartments in the brick building, located a short distance from North Main Street.
When the first engine crews arrived, they found “heavy fire in the apartment overlapping on two sides of the building. There was an enormous amount of smoke,” Foley said.
Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Kreckler called for a second alarm on arrival, with a third alarm added later.
Foley said the additional firefighters were needed to conduct a search to make sure no one else was in the building.
“There was an extensive amount of building to search under heavy smoke conditions,” Foley said.
Four people were brought out of the third floor of the building over 35-foot ladders set up at the rear, Foley said.
Gregory St. Just fled his third-floor apartment in his bare feet and boxer shorts.
“I was sleeping and the fire alarm and my girlfriend woke me up,” said St. Just, wearing borrowed boots and jacket. “You could see nothing.”
Foley said the fire itself was mainly confined to the apartment and its contents, with some extension to the second floor.
The fire itself was extinguished in less than an hour.
Foley said the cause of the fire is still under investigation by the department, the state fire marshal’s office and state police attached to the Norfolk District Attorney’s office.
Residents of the building could not return to their apartments this morning. Temporary shelter was set up in an MBTA bus and later at nearby St. Bernadette’s” Church Hall, where the Red Cross arranged accommodations for the displaced residents.
Firefighters and equipment from Randolph and seven other departments responded to the scene. They were Avon, Braintree, Canton, Holbrook, Milton, Stoughton and Weymouth.
Fred Hanson may be reached at fhanson@ledger.com.
