CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Early Tuesday morning, a fire broke out in a four-story, 29-unit building at 15 Chester St. in North Cambridge, displacing around 40 people and tragically leading to one fatality.
Cambridge firefighters, police, and emergency medical services responded to the scene at 4:41 a.m. following reports of a loud explosion and heavy flames. The fire escalated to a three-alarm status, but emergency responders were able to bring it under control by 5:14 a.m.
By early morning, investigators from the Cambridge fire and police departments, as well as a State Police fire unit, remained at the scene to determine the cause of the fire, which is still under investigation.
Tragically, one person was found deceased in a top-floor unit, and one firefighter sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The Red Cross was present to aid displaced residents, while fire officials noted that the majority of the building should still be habitable following a thorough cleanup.
This is not the first time the building has been in the news; the same building was the site of a joint fugitive investigation in August 2023, which led to the arrest of a Cambridge man suspected of a 2017 murder and dismemberment in Indiana.
The cause of the fire remains unknown as the investigation continues, and our thoughts are with those affected by this tragic event in North Cambridge.