Firefighters Hurt Battling Parking Garage Blaze In Somerville

SOMERVILLE, MA — Three firefighters were injured by a falling section of concrete while battling a parking garage fire in Somerville overnight, Fire Chief Charles Breen said.

The fire was reported on Canal Street around 2:20 a.m. Wednesday. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the garage and a fire on the fourth floor.

Heat from the burning vehicles caused a portion of concrete to collapse, striking three firefighters. Two other firefighters sustained minor injuries.

The fire destroyed four cars and damaged a fifth. It also spread to a void space between the garage and the adjacent Montaje Apartments, igniting a rubber membrane between the two buildings, Breen said.

Flames spread up to the roof of the garage and dropped burning debris to the first floor, prompting a second alarm to be added, Breen said. Fire crews from Everett and Cambridge assisted at the scene.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.