Grant
Administrator
Thursday, June 1, 2006
Fire destroys Chandler Street pizzeria
Policeman helps tenants escape
By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
scroteau@telegram.com
WORCESTER— A police officer heading to an off-duty assignment rushed into a building on fire on Chandler Street and helped people get out as flames destroyed the Golden Pizza restaurant on the first floor yesterday morning.
The police officer, a resident of the building and two others suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation, officials said.
Officer Timothy C. Reynolds was in uniform, driving his own car to a detail around 6:30 a.m. when someone flagged him down near Chandler Street, police spokesman Sgt. Gary J. Quitadamo said.
The man said there was a fire inside 210 Chandler St. The officer went inside and up to the second floor, where he helped residents escape.
Other officers and a deputy U.S. marshal, who were in the area serving arrest warrants, saw the smoke and went to help.
Thick black smoke poured from inside the pizza parlor and permeated the stairwell and apartments. Residents from the three-decker above Golden Pizza fled the building.
On the stairs, police Officer Samuel Rivera, Detectives Jay J. Magarian and Walter F. Murray and Deputy U.S. Marshal Mark Lewis asked fleeing residents if anyone else was inside. The smoke hung like a black cape in front of the officials’ eyes, making visibility almost impossible, Officer Rivera said.
“One guy came out of a third-floor apartment with a dog and bumped into us,” the officer said. “He didn’t see us.” The man said no one else was in the building.
Deputy Marshal Lewis heard the cracking of the fire on the first floor as the pizza shop, a fixture in the area for almost 20 years, was heavily damaged.
“A streak of fire was going up the side of the building,” Officer Rivera said. “Once we put the call out, the Fire Department was there within a minute.”
Detective Magarian and a third-floor resident were taken to city hospitals for treatment for smoke inhalation. Sgt. Quitadamo said the detective was released from UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus yesterday. Officials said the resident’s smoke inhalation was minor.
Fire investigators believe the fire started in the kitchen area of Golden Pizza. They ruled out arson, District Fire Chief Frank D. DiLiddo III said. The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
George Aoude, who owns six Golden Pizza restaurants in the city with his son Nick Aoude, said the Chandler Street shop made the most money of all of the restaurants. The Aoudes lease the space from Sonia Kachadoorian, the owner of the building. The restaurant wasn’t open at the time of the fire.
Mr. Aoude said he was sleeping when he got a call that his shop was burning. Smashed-out glass shards from the windows of Golden Pizza sat along the base of the building yesterday and glimmered in the light. Workers outside cut boards to cover the windows.
The first- and second-floor apartments sustained both fire and smoke damage, while the third floor sustained smoke damage. Power was shut off in the building yesterday, and the local office of the American Red Cross got the residents rooms in a local hotel.
Chief DiLiddo said the fire caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. No firefighters were injured.
Firefighters battled flames that came out of the sides of the pizzeria. Officials were concerned about fire reaching the roof because of the large billboards on top of it, Chief DiLiddo said. Fast work stopped the fire from going higher up in the building, he said.
Nicole Valentine, director of emergency services for the American Red Cross of Central Massachusetts, said the residents received temporary housing and vouchers for food and clothing. Volunteers are working with the families.
This was the 12th fire in the city that volunteers from the American Red Cross responded to since April 1, Ms. Valentine said. Several of them have been in multifamily homes. The volunteers have responded to 19 fires in 48 area cities and towns since April 1, she added.
Fire destroys Chandler Street pizzeria
Policeman helps tenants escape
By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
scroteau@telegram.com
WORCESTER— A police officer heading to an off-duty assignment rushed into a building on fire on Chandler Street and helped people get out as flames destroyed the Golden Pizza restaurant on the first floor yesterday morning.
The police officer, a resident of the building and two others suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation, officials said.
Officer Timothy C. Reynolds was in uniform, driving his own car to a detail around 6:30 a.m. when someone flagged him down near Chandler Street, police spokesman Sgt. Gary J. Quitadamo said.
The man said there was a fire inside 210 Chandler St. The officer went inside and up to the second floor, where he helped residents escape.
Other officers and a deputy U.S. marshal, who were in the area serving arrest warrants, saw the smoke and went to help.
Thick black smoke poured from inside the pizza parlor and permeated the stairwell and apartments. Residents from the three-decker above Golden Pizza fled the building.
On the stairs, police Officer Samuel Rivera, Detectives Jay J. Magarian and Walter F. Murray and Deputy U.S. Marshal Mark Lewis asked fleeing residents if anyone else was inside. The smoke hung like a black cape in front of the officials’ eyes, making visibility almost impossible, Officer Rivera said.
“One guy came out of a third-floor apartment with a dog and bumped into us,” the officer said. “He didn’t see us.” The man said no one else was in the building.
Deputy Marshal Lewis heard the cracking of the fire on the first floor as the pizza shop, a fixture in the area for almost 20 years, was heavily damaged.
“A streak of fire was going up the side of the building,” Officer Rivera said. “Once we put the call out, the Fire Department was there within a minute.”
Detective Magarian and a third-floor resident were taken to city hospitals for treatment for smoke inhalation. Sgt. Quitadamo said the detective was released from UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus yesterday. Officials said the resident’s smoke inhalation was minor.
Fire investigators believe the fire started in the kitchen area of Golden Pizza. They ruled out arson, District Fire Chief Frank D. DiLiddo III said. The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
George Aoude, who owns six Golden Pizza restaurants in the city with his son Nick Aoude, said the Chandler Street shop made the most money of all of the restaurants. The Aoudes lease the space from Sonia Kachadoorian, the owner of the building. The restaurant wasn’t open at the time of the fire.
Mr. Aoude said he was sleeping when he got a call that his shop was burning. Smashed-out glass shards from the windows of Golden Pizza sat along the base of the building yesterday and glimmered in the light. Workers outside cut boards to cover the windows.
The first- and second-floor apartments sustained both fire and smoke damage, while the third floor sustained smoke damage. Power was shut off in the building yesterday, and the local office of the American Red Cross got the residents rooms in a local hotel.
Chief DiLiddo said the fire caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. No firefighters were injured.
Firefighters battled flames that came out of the sides of the pizzeria. Officials were concerned about fire reaching the roof because of the large billboards on top of it, Chief DiLiddo said. Fast work stopped the fire from going higher up in the building, he said.
Nicole Valentine, director of emergency services for the American Red Cross of Central Massachusetts, said the residents received temporary housing and vouchers for food and clothing. Volunteers are working with the families.
This was the 12th fire in the city that volunteers from the American Red Cross responded to since April 1, Ms. Valentine said. Several of them have been in multifamily homes. The volunteers have responded to 19 fires in 48 area cities and towns since April 1, she added.