Heavy flames and thick smoke roared through two triple-deckers on Union Street in Southbridge early Wednesday morning, threatening to catch a third on fire. “I started knocking on everybody’s door, knocking on the windows, get out, get out there’s fire, fire, fire!” said a neighbor who helped others escape. Thankfully, the roughly 30 people inside the apartments that burned got out safely, and no firefighters were injured in the seven-alarm fire. But neighbors, who were too afraid for their own safety to show their faces, say they believe the fire was intentionally set by someone they caught on camera lurking in back of the three-deckers. “I just heard my dogs going crazy so we went and we looked at the cameras and he was facing the camera so we caught him right on camera,” said one witness. “He showed up like around 1:58 and like around 3 o’clock he just threw something at the building and the whole building caught fire.” They’ve turned that video over to police. Southbridge Fire Chief Paul Normandin stopped short of calling the fire suspicious but did say it looks like the back side of the triple-decker closest to Cross Street is where the fire may have started. That has people living on this street concerned for their own safety. “It’s scary because you think what about, you know, what if that happens to us next?” Maritza Figueroa, who lives across the street said. Normandin said his department and the State Fire Marshal's Office are investigating the cause of the fire.
CONTINUE READING
