Officials Investigate Beacon Hill Roof Fire

A roof fire at a 32-34 Hancock St. brownstone caused an estimated half-million dollars' worth of damage Wednesday night on Beacon Hill, rerouting traffic as police blocked of a long stretch of Cambridge Street and neighborhood roads surrounding the building.

The fire began shortly after 7 p.m., the Boston Fire Department said.

As of about 8 p.m., the fire was out and residents from the 16-unit condos crowded onto the street, holding cat carriers and other personal belongings as they looked up at their building or huddled to talk with firefighters still on scene.

Several firetrucks squeezed onto Hancock Street, and police additionally blocked off Cambridge Street to almost all vehicles from the Red Line Station on Charles, down to approximately Temple Street.

The fire department reports there were no injuries in the two-alarm blaze, but estimate roughly $500,000 in damage was done to the roof and rest of the building.

As of 9:30 p.m., fire investigators were on Hancock Street working to pinpoint the cause of the fire, which they believe started in a flower pot on the roof deck.

>> Photos via Boston Fire Department, Patch staff

>> This story has been updated from the original post.