More than a dozen people, including several children who had been living in a three-family dwelling on Zion Street were left homeless by an early-morning fire that officials said started on the second floor, NBC 30s Amy Parmenter reported.
A woman, who asked not to be identified by name, told Parmenter that her boyfriend, Mack Allen, 28, came home drunk and used a lighter to intentionally set fire to a comforter in one of the bedrooms.
By the time firefighters and rescue crews arrived, everyone had managed to get out of the burning building without injury.
It only took about 10 to 15 minutes to extinguish the blaze, but by then, the damage was done, fire officials said.
"There was extensive [damage, and we] shut the building down," they said.
The man thought to be responsible for the fire was arrested at the scene and taken away by police, while those who had escaped with their lives lingered for hours with nowhere to go, Parmenter said.
The Red Cross arrived to provide food, clothing and temporary shelter for those displaced by the fire.
For one resident who escaped with her grandson, it was the second time in a year she'd been burned out of her home.
The woman spoke haltingly to Parmenter: "I don't know, it's too much. My heart is like this. (pause)"
