No Injuries In Melrose Apartment Fire

MELROSE, MA — No injuries were reported during a Monday morning fire that sent thick black smoke billowing out of the top floor of a West Wyoming Avenue apartment building.

Several tenants watched from the parking lot and across the street after being evacuated. Many were still outside as heavy rains moved in and firefighters continued to work through the apartment building at 56 West Wyoming Ave.

The usually busy road was partially shut down as fire crews from Melrose, Malden and Wakefield filled the street.

"Big thank you to the men and women of the Melrose Fire Department," Mayor Paul Brodeur tweeted in the afternoon. He pledged to offer each resident help from the city's emergency fund.

Bernice Ingaciola lives in the apartment next to the one smoke was flowing from.

"I smelled smoke, but I just thought it was outside," she said, sipping some water while sitting on a stretcher next to her cat, Felix, who firefighters rescued.

Faustin Macha said there has been maybe a dozen false alarms since he moved here in 2005. But this time was different.

"It was bad," he said.

Chris Nardone, who has lived in the apartment building for over two decades, said through all the alarms, this time it was for real.

"All the years I've lived here, you just get used to it," he said.