Ashford Street Fire Forces Evacuation
Students escape second blaze in three hours
Six BU students escaped injury early Sunday morning when a fire ripped through the exterior wall of a three-story house on the corner of Ashford Street and Ashford Terrace in Allston.
The blaze, reported at 6:30 a.m., appears to have started on the outside wall of 50 Ashford St., a privately owned house rented to students. Just three hours earlier, a “trash fire” had ignited a few feet away on the same wall.
Boston University Police Sgt. Jefferey Burke says both fires were extinguished by the Boston Fire Department and that the cause of both fires is under investigation.
According to Michael Held (CAS’09), who lived in the house with six other Boston University students, at the time of the second blaze, one housemate was away and six were sleeping. He says all residents were awakened either by a smoke alarm or by housemates, and all exited safely.
Chris Santarelli (CAS’10), another resident of the house, says the site was visited shortly after the incident by a representative from the office of Mayor Thomas M. Menino and by representatives from BU’s Office of the Dean of Students.
Associate Dean of Students John Weldon, Jr., arrived at the scene with BUPD Sgt. Larry Manning at 8 a.m. Weldon says he offered all residents of the uninhabitable house short-term and long-term on-campus housing. He says the University would notify the professors of all students who lived in the house.
Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore says the University would help the students in any way possible. Elmore notes that Ashford Street area is heavily trafficked by students at all hours. He asks that anyone with any information about the fires call the Boston University Police at 617-353 2121 or the Boston Police at 617-343-4200.
Art Jahnke can be reached at jahnke@bu.edu.
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