Fire sweeps through Fens

Fire engulfed the Fens late Monday afternoon, attracting over 300 Bostonians and an army of firefighters as the flames quickly spread and multiplied around the park. There were no injuries reported.

Although some residents said they saw two or three fires erupt simultaneously around the park, the Boston Fire Department say the cause of the fire was natural and not manmade.

BFD Sgt. Anthony Thompson from the rehab unit at first suspected a cigarette could have ignited the park with the help of the dryness, the heat and the wind.

But BFD District Chief Charles Mitchell said it was a common brush fire.

“It’s what happens in the spring,” he said.

The fire investigation unit at BFD also said the fire was not set on purpose, and no investigation into the cause was underway.

“They didn’t call us out there,” said Sgt. Philip Smith of the arson squad.

Yet some witnesses said the fire appeared suspicious.

At 6:15 pm, Northeastern University freshman Khalid Kamal called 911 after he saw the fire from his car.

“It’s weird because it kept spreading from different sides. I saw like three fires. It’s not all connected,” said Kamal.

Other residents who were at the Fens since the beginning of the fire said the flames started in the middle of the park and spread into several other areas.

“There was just one huge fire and then one over on the far side, the flames were probably just as high or higher than the trees,” said Northeastern fourth-year student Amy Sandonato.

Boston University College of Engineering graduate student Patrick Knowles came to see the commotion with his roommate.

“We live about a block away and we saw the fire,” he said. “I hope it’s not manmade.”

The fire appeared to have damaged mainly the grass along the river that crosses the Fens, creating a visible black strip, but did not reach the private gardens. A few trees also caught fire and fell to the ground.

“It will grow back eventually,” Sandonato said.