By Isabelle Friedman
Boston Herald
BOSTON — Firefighters working an 8-alarm blaze in Roxbury are warning residents to keep their windows and doors shut as smoke blankets the area.
The fire broke out this morning at a construction waste recycling center on Gerard Street. Approximately 150 firefighters are working at the scene, according to Boston fire officials.
As firefighters attacked the blaze, Fire Commissioner Paul Burke quickly escalated the response to 8-alarms due to the presence of hazardous materials.
“It’s a bad fire because of the debris in there. Construction material is very combustible,” Burke told reporters at a press conference.
The building contained offices and construction materials that had been sorted into piles for recycling, according to Burke. He said there could be lithium batteries and other dangers, in addition to wood products, asbestos and other construction materials.
“These piles are so deep, they could burn for days. Cause I can’t get firefighters in there to move the piles with the debris. They’d have to do it by hand, and I can’t risk their lives doing something like that just to save a building that’s empty that can be replaced easily,” Burke said.
The possibilities of hazards are “unlimited,” Burke added.
“Nobody knows what’s in the debris, where it came from,” Burke said. “Hopefully there’s no batteries or things like that because once they get going they’ll extend the duration of the fire.”
Additionally, there could be pits fire fighters could fall into, made more dangerous by the smoke inside that has yet to clear.
A structural engineer will be needed to assess the risk of collapse, Burke said.
Firefighters cannot yet enter the building because the structure isn’t safe, prompting the crews to fight from the outside.
Rain in tomorrow’s forecast will be welcome, Burke said, but it will have limited effect because the fire in burning inside and the roof is still intact.
Burke reported that there have been no injuries so far and that the building was vacant. The department estimated the damages at about $4 million.
Fire officials are advising residents to keep their windows and doors shut a the smoke lingers in the heavy air. Burke said that wind was blowing the smoke away from residential areas but advised the public to avoid the area Sunday and Monday.
“We remind the neighbors in the area to keep their doors and windows closed to keep the smoke out and avoid the area,” department said in a social media advisory.
No evacuations have been prompted. Detail firefighters will remain on the scene.
©2025 MediaNews Group, Inc.
Visit at bostonherald.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.