Christmas Morning Fire Destroys North End Apartments

Boston firefighters spent the early hours of their Christmas morning battling a roaring, five-alarm fire that caused millions in damage and displaced more than a dozen people in Boston's North End.

Boston Fire rolled in around 4:15 a.m. to the burning, four-story brick apartment at Hull Street and Snow Hill Street.

The blaze quickly escalated to five alarms, with orange flames roaring from the roof. At one point, every floor was on fire, and the large parts of the roof eventually collapsed, the fire department said.

Two firefighters sustained minor injuries while at the scene, but otherwise nobody was reported hurt. Boston Fire said nobody was home at the three-unit apartment building at the time that the fire broke out.

Between the 52 Hull St. apartment where the fire started and the adjoining buildings on Hull and Snow Hill, 17 people will likely be displaced, according to estimates from Boston Fire. All have friends or family to stay with, and the Red Cross was additionally on the scene to assist where needed.

In total, Boston Fire put the initial damage estimate at $4 million. Investigators are still seeking the cause.

The building is situated in a well-known corner of the North End, across the street from the centuries-old Copp's Hill Burial Ground, and just down the block from Boston's historic Old North Church.

Firefighters remained on the scene as the sun rose, continuing to work into Christmas morning.

Images via Boston Fire