Three Revere Firefighters Injured Battling Chelsea Four-Alarm Fire

By Seth Daniel

One Revere Firefighter remains in the hospital after a four-alarm house fire in Chelsea brought in numerous neighboring communities, including Revere, and injured three Revere jakes in the process.

Interim Chief Chris Bright reported that Lt. Bob DeMauro, leader of the Ladder 2 Revere crew, was the most seriously injured of the three injured firefighters.

“Bob is going to be out of commission for months and not weeks,” said Bright. “Thankfully they didn’t get killed. Bob was in acute care at Mass General and he is now in a room. He’ll probably have to go to a rehab facility.”

DeMauro suffered a head injury, a concussion, a broken left hand, three chipped vertebrae, and compressed vertebrae in his lower back.

Firefighter Charlie Fusco was also admitted to the MGH with shoulder injuries and bruising.

Firefighter Paul Calsimitto was transported to the Whidden Hospital after taking a blow to the head and was released Monday night.

“What happened was they were operating in the rear of the house down in the backyard,” said Bright. “They pulled everyone out of the house to fight the fire from the outside because there was too much smoke…At some point a transom on top of the roof collapsed and fell on them as they were in the rear yard. There was so much smoke they never saw it coming.”

The fire broke out on Bellingham Street in Chelsea around 3:47 p.m. and went to a fourth alarm by 4:10 p.m. It began in the rear of the three-story wood-frame six family home and spread to all three floors. Heavy smoke and flames, along with hot temperatures outside, made it difficult fire to fight.

A ‘May Day’ call – the most serious call in firefighting – came during the fire when the transom collapsed on the three Revere firefighters.

Five Chelsea firefighters were injured and transported to the hospital, with all five being released later.

Other crews on scene were Everett, Boston, Medford, Saugus, Somerville, Winthrop, Malden, Lynn, Melrose and Cambridge.

The fire cause was determined to be accidental originating from an electrical issue on the rear porch, first floor.

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A Revere firefighter injured in a four-alarm blaze in Chelsea on Monday is wheeled to a waiting ambulance.

A Revere firefighter injured in a four-alarm blaze in Chelsea on Monday is wheeled to a waiting ambulance.

Photo by Paul Koolloian

A second Revere firefighter is wheeled away after a portion of the roof fell on him and two other Revere jakes.

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