Cigarette Probably Caused Roxbury Blaze, Fire Chief Says

A cigarette thrown from a car on Lakeside Boulevard most likely caused a fire that endangered several businesses and stymied traffic for about an hour Wednesday night, Roxbury Fire Department Chief Kirk Keyes said.

Nobody was injured in the blaze, which came high temperatures and drought-like conditions have raised fire concerns throughout the state.

Keyes said residents need to take extra caution.

"People need to be very careful with what they're doing with their cigarettes right now," he said, "until we get some rain."

The fire started in the dry mulch in front of the building and spread to the outside of a vacant office, Keyes said. The flames were extinguished in about a half-hour, and traffic was reopened on the road at 7 p.m., he said.

"It was very nice attack by the Roxbury Fire Department," Keyes said. "They were quick. They were inside the building before [the fire] got to the roof area or the attic of the building. In probably another minute, the fire would have been in the attic.

"That's what ended up saving that whole building from a total loss."

Businesses were allowed to reopen after the fire, Keyes said.