A three-alarm fire on Sunday afternoon in Dorchester displaced at least 37 people after rapidly spreading between two adjacent residential buildings. Emergency responders were called to 359 Geneva Avenue, where flames were observed coming from the rear of a three-story wood-frame home, according to the Boston Fire Department.

The blaze escalated quickly, prompting fire officials to issue a second and third alarm as the fire extended to the neighboring three-family dwelling at 355 Geneva Avenue. Both buildings sustained heavy damage and were evacuated. As of Sunday evening, no injuries had been reported, though authorities noted that some residents had yet to be accounted for.

Firefighters tackled the fire from multiple vantage points amid thick smoke pouring from the upper floors and roofs of both structures. Aerial ladders were deployed to access the roofs while hose lines were directed from the street, porches, and neighboring rooftops. Additionally, crews fought the fire from behind the homes to avoid putting personnel on unstable porches.

The fire was brought under control later in the day, but crews remained on-site to extinguish remaining hot spots. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Among those affected, Mario Lopez, a first-floor resident at 359 Geneva Avenue, was away when he received word that his home was ablaze. “I went to the mall to buy something, then I was told that the house was burning. I have no idea how,” Lopez said. He rushed back to the scene and expressed relief that his personal space was spared major damage. Lopez said he works six days a week and is not acquainted with residents on the upper floors but hoped they all escaped unharmed.

Neighbors on the street witnessed the scene unfold. Sheryl Horne, who lives across from the affected buildings, described hearing a flurry of emergency vehicles and the urgency of first responders ordering residents to evacuate. “Flames were shooting out the back porch and the back window,” she recalled.

Horne provided temporary shelter to one displaced family on her porch, noting the distress of a woman and her children as they sought refuge. “She was crying. I got them water, and got her son a sweater,” Horne said. She also observed that one child was missing a shoe and another lacked a shirt as the fire response continued.

Efforts remain underway to assist displaced residents and investigate the fire's origin.