Special to the Record
Due to the extensive damage caused by the six-alarm fire at 185 Washington Ave. last week, the Chelsea Fire Department was unable to determine the exact cause of the fire. Nearly 60 people were displaced as a result of the fire on Wednesday, August 14 in what was one of the most destructive residential fires in the city in years. Local fire officials are encouraging residents to remain vigilant and take precautions to prevent fires, and note that there is information on fire prevention resources at chelseama.gov.
Since the fire, the City, community partners, and state agencies have mobilized to support the families with hotel lodging, cash donations for basic needs, and meals for each day since the incident. Additional support includes the Recovery Resource Center that was hosted on Friday, August 16, at La Colaborativa and the Housing Clinic hosted by The Neighborhood Developers on Monday, August 19.
As of Tuesday, residents were scheduled to check out from the original hotel with the option of an extended hotel stay for up to two weeks if they are unable to stay with family or find a housing alternative. All impacted families have met with state officials and those that qualify have been given the option to enter the emergency assistance shelter system supported by the Commonwealth, according to city officials.
City Manager Fidel Maltez stated that the city is grateful to the Chelsea Fire Department, Office of Emergency Management, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, Salvation Army, Red Cross, La Colaborativa, the Neighborhood Developers, and other local organizations that assembled to collaborate and support the Chelsea families.