Firefighters Knock Down 6-Alarm Fire At Suffolk Downs

Boston MA

31 May, 2022

11:24 AM

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BOSTON — Firefighters battled a six-alarm fire that broke out at Suffolk Downs grandstand late Monday night. Shortly after receiving word of the fire, crews responded to the scene around 10 p.m., immediately working to try to extinguish the fire that they believe started in the roof area of the grandstand. Though live horse racing hasn't taken place at Suffolk Downs since 2019, the property is still used for simulcasts and was recently sold to a development group that was given approval for a 10.5 million-square-foot residential, retail, and open space development. According to a tweet, the building was open for simulcasts Monday but closed by 6:30 p.m. Boston Fire Commissioner Jack Dempsey said the fire appeared to have been concentrated in the simulcast booth, at the top section of the building which overlooks the old racetrack. All companies were ordered off the roof around 11:15 p.m., and a drone was used to locate the flames. "We can get a birds-eye view of the building, and it actually has thermal imaging so we can see if the fire is traveling," Dempsey said. "It saves a lot of time and effort. We can concentrate on that area." Once a water supply was established, Dempsey said crews were fast to knock down the massive fire. "We had a very difficult time with water. It was very limited here. We had a lot of help to get lines running thousands of feet," Dempsey said. No one was injured, and it's unclear what caused the fire at this time. As of Tuesday morning, some fire crews remained on the scene to watch for hot spots and to determine what caused the fire in the first place. No additional information was immediately available.