Waltham Fire Department rescues resident over ground ladder at 4-alarm fire on High Street, police officers rescue 3 

The Waltham Fire Department on Tuesday responded to a reported building fire at 78 High St.  

Companies were dispatched at 12:11 p.m. and arrived at 12:13 p.m., according to a Fire Department press release 

Deputy Chief Brock Rowland reported smoke on the building’s third floor and declared a working fire. 

Companies received reports of a resident trapped on the third floor in the rear of the building. Ladder 2 deployed a ground ladder and brought a 77-year-old man to safety. The resident was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for evaluation.

Two members of the Waltham Police Department, who had been in the area and were flagged down prior to Fire Department’s arrival, initially had entered the building and made contact with the trapped resident before being pushed back by heavy smoke. They were able to guide three other residents on lower floors safely out of the building.

Rowland requested an additional ladder company prior to ordering a second alarm at 12:17 p.m.  

Fire companies on the second and third floors reported finding heavy fire in the walls and a third alarm was transmitted around 12:40 p.m.  

All companies were ordered out of the building at 12:45 p.m. Fire companies then switched to a defensive operation.

At 1:10 p.m. a fourth alarm was ordered.  

In all, 10 Waltham fire companies responded, plus WFD command staff and 12 mutual aid companies from cities and towns including Newton, Belmont, Cambridge, Weston and Watertown.  Another seven mutual aid companies helped cover Waltham during the fire operations. Armstrong Ambulance also responded to the fire with a medic unit, three ambulances and a supervisor. 

The fire displaced 10 to15 residents. The Red Cross was notified.  

The Waltham Fire and Police departments are investigating the fire, with assistance from the state fire marshal’s office.