Fire Destroys Fenway Restaurants

I was sad to see this on the news yesterday. These restaurants were good and nicely tucked away behind Fenway Park. They were such a nice alternative to all the chain options that abound. My friend JiYeon is the one who first introduced me to them years ago when we first met Woojin and they weren't as crowded since it was off the beaten path. My favorites were Rod-Dee and the Taqueria. Here's hoping they rebuild.

Fire Destroys Fenway Restaurants
BOSTON

An early morning fire in Boston's Fenway neighborhood destroyed a block of restaurants and forced dozens of people out into the cold Tuesday.

FAST MOVING FIRE

The fire broke out inside Thornton's Fenway Grill at the corner of Peterborough and Kilmarnock Streets around 2 a.m.

It quickly spread to the ceiling and then throughout the block, gutting five other restaurants and a dry cleaner.

"When we first got in there, we thought we had the fire contained in the first building," Robert Dunderdell of the Boston Fire Department said. "But there were no firewalls between the businesses, and it had raced across the building."

DOZENS EVACUATED

About 100 families were forced to evacuate their homes in the neighborhood because of the smoke, heat, and carbon monoxide danger generated by the four-alarm fire.

100 firefighters were called in and they struggled with the icy conditions.

Two of them were hurt when they slipped and fell. No one else was hurt.

CEILING COLLAPSED

Firefighters were forced to pull back at one point because an air conditioning unit crashed through the ceiling of one of the businesses.

Damage is estimated at $5 million.

There's no word yet on how the fire started.

The restaurants destroyed are:

1. Thornton's Fenway Grill
2. Sorento's Italian Gourmet
3. Umi Japanese Restaurant
4. Greek Isles
5. Rod-Dee Thai Cuisine II
6. El Pelon Taqueria