Fire in Fall River cripples multi-family home

By: Ana Bottary

abottary@abc6.com

FALL RIVER, M.A. – Smoke billowed out of a multi-family home Thursday morning causing all of the tenants to evacuate.

Standing in a group outside, tenants watched as their home suffered severe damage.

"I live on disability and everything I own is up there," said Desiree Carcieri. "Our laptops our TV, play station, everything gone. Our beds, blankets, pillows probably our clean close that we just washed, gone."

While flames traveling quickly up the home Peter Arpa who lives on the second floor made multiple trips into the home in order to get his animals safely out.

"I’m just happy I got my three cats out. I ran up three times to get my cats, threw them in my car one at a time. That was the most important thing to me, everything else can be replaced," said Peter Arpa.

Desiree Carcieri also went back in to get her dog out of danger.

"Grabbed his leash immediately, I’m not going to leave my dog in there. I’d burn before I let my dog die. That’s my baby," said Desiree Carcieri.

When crews arrived at the fire around 11 a.m. they battled flames on each level of the three story home.

"The first second and third floors are pretty much burnt out. The roof also collapsed and the attic also," said Chief John Lynch of the Fall River Fire Department.

Everyone who lives in the home got out safe, but one firefighter who was part of the first crew to enter the home did suffer minor burns, and was taken to the hospital.

Chief Lynch says he could return to duty as soon as Thursday night.

Despite the devastation of the fire, Arpa is staying positive, saying: "I don’t have much to begin with, but what I got is mine. Everything I do got is gone. So, we start over that’s all we can do right?"

The Chief says it would appear that the building is a total loss, but the next step now is for the building department to come in and determine that.

©WLNE-TV / ABC6 2016