10 displaced including small children after blaze at multi-family home in Medford

MEDFORD, Mass. — Michelle Castillo thought her house was on fire Sunday morning.

“My grandmother’s screaming,” she said. “She’s saying fire, the fire.”

The fire she was referring to was actually a couple of streets away -- where Castillo’s extended family, including two small children, woke to an inferno.

Medford Fire Department Deputy Chief William Young said the fire broke out before dawn -- perhaps around 5:30. When crews arrived flames were pouring from the two upper floors.

Castillo and her grandmother rushed over -- to find all ten occupants of the building huddled outside -- including a three and six-year-old.

“It was super cold,” she said. “We brought blankets and everything we could.”

Despite the morning chill, neighbor Iliana DePena said she could feel the fire’s heat.

“It was around 5:30,” she said. “I heard a scream.”

Depena rushed to the window and shot video of the fire as it consumed the upper floors of the structure.

“Thankfully, it did not spread,” she said. “That was my main concern.”

Medford FD Deputy Chief William Young said the current dry-spell did not threaten to spread the fire -- perhaps because foliage in the neighborhood is relatively sparse -- and healthy. He said they even managed to get the family’s pet cat out safely.

Carlos DePena, Iliana’s Dad, warned neighbors the house was on fire. He was grateful for the outcome -- though saddened to see so many displaced.

“The house can be replaced,” he said. “But the lives you cannot replace. You cannot replace a life.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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