Two firefighters died while battling a huge, nine-alarm blaze in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, Boston Globe reported, citing two people with direct knowledge of the situation.
Officials speaking to The Globe said a group of firefighters had been trapped in the building's basement — where the fire is believed to have originated—in a four-story brownstone building at 298 Beacon St. About 150 firefighters were battling the blaze, which had spread through all floors and out through the roof.
Strong wind gusts made battling the blaze more difficult.
At least 16 people had also been injured, New York Daily News reported.
New England Cable News said the scene of the fire was being treated as a crime scene. The District Attorney's office has sent prosecutors to the scene of the fire, which is standard practice when death could result from injury, according to a reporter for 7 News.
It's so far unclear what started the fire and how many people were in the building. A witness told WCVB in Boston that he saw residents fleeing the building using the fire escapes.
An official from a nearby school told The Globe: "We can see, feel, and smell the fire. Smoke is in the alleyways, it's everywhere."
Check out some of the photos:
Photos from Beacon St. brownstone fire via #WCVB, @BostonFire, Twitter: http://t.co/A3FBv9Oz5Epic.twitter.com/kVhxDB5WIl
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) March 26, 2014BREAKING: Firefighters are battling a nine-alarm fire on Beacon Street in the Back Bay. http://t.co/vNV9sMLw6ppic.twitter.com/0YLDztZDW8
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) March 26, 2014Firefighters battling 9-alarm fire on Beacon Street in Back Bay, via @acecon12http://t.co/Zn3CNnC2acpic.twitter.com/gmc2pZQDN2
— Boston.com (@BostonDotCom) March 26, 2014Beacon St. 7 alarms http://t.co/s9ZZxpD2SO
— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) March 26, 2014— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) March 26, 20149th alarm ordered http://t.co/TAg2ntZYs1
— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) March 26, 2014— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) March 26, 2014Here's a map that shows where the fire is:
This is the location of the 9 alarm fire on Beacon St. in #Boston. http://t.co/UZ2Vl7wrblpic.twitter.com/50b6jxxcxC
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) March 26, 2014Boston.com has video of the blaze: