The Chelsea Fire Department responded to reports of dangerous conditions at 124 Washington Ave. on Monday, March 9 at 8:15 p.m. The initial call was a report of bricks falling from the building and a pedestrian possibly injured. Upon arrival, firefighters found that a section of the brick exterior wall over the second-floor window had collapsed onto the sidewalk below. They checked the area and did not locate anyone who was injured.
This building has been vacant since the 2-alarm fire that occurred there in January, which caused extensive damage to the second and third floors of the structure. The area around the building was immediately cordoned off, and Inspectional Services responded to inspect the damage. The remaining section of wall on the Washington Ave side of the property was determined to be unstable, and a collapse zone was established out of an abundance of caution and will remain in effect until the structure can be stabilized and safely secured.
At this time, the collapse zone remains in place, and the sidewalk and a section of Washington Ave between Addison Street and Orange Street are currently closed. The property owner has been notified and will be required to have the structure shored and stabilized by a qualified contractor.
The Fire Department remained on scene until the stabilization work was completed.