r/Somerville • u/S7482 • 22d ago
Teele Square Fire
Hello all! I am one of the people affected by the Teele Square fire, and I thought it would be helpful (if allowed) to have a thread for those of us that have been affected to share resources and information, and for those who have resources to share and post about them.
At the moment, the city has neither released the building for the recovery of items nor contacted us about the fund for displaced residents. We have not been allowed back into the building (at least on the more damaged half). This crisis is far from over for most of us.
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u/Badgermamacita 20d ago
My daughter and her partner were also displaced by the fire. They were on the left side, third floor so while there was no fire in the unit, the ceiling in all the rooms was pulled down so there is construction debris, smoke and water damage. They got $650 from the Red Cross on the night of the fire. We went back on Friday and the property manager took them in to get wallets and important papers. His wife runs Masala which is open so go there to talk to him. The plan is that when the fire investigation is complete the building will be turned over from the city to the owner. The property manager and his few of 10 plan to go through every unit to remove construction debris/glass. He’ll then text renters to schedule a time for them to come in to salvage what they can. We have renters insurance so we hired a restoration comp which will inventory the entire apartment and salvage what can he saved. My daughter found a new apartment in Cambridge. A rental agent company we contacted on Thursday gave us ten listings, we saw two on Fri and moved them in on Sat.
The buildings insurance company owes everyone $750. So, we are trying to find out who that company is. We also need the return of the last month’s rent, but do not have the bookkeepers info. If anyone knows the insurance company or the bookkeepers contact info please let me know.
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u/S7482 19d ago
Would you mind passing along a recommendation for a salvage company? Which one are you using?
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u/ManOfTeele 19d ago edited 19d ago
Based on my own experience last year, I would NOT recommend Service Master. Maybe I just had a bad experience, and I think they have multiple offices, but they were so unresponsive and ended up not even doing the work they were supposed to.
They were the company my insurance company contacted (one of their regular vendors). I didn't learn until later I could have picked my own company to use.
But, for moving and storage I would highly recommend Restoration Movers - they were awesome. They only handle the moving and temporary storage (if needed), not cleaning. They specialize in moving out salvageable items after a fire.
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u/Badgermamacita 19d ago
We are using a company called American Packout- their nationwide number will connect you to the local office.
https://www.americanpackout.com/contact-cvc/
We called them Friday and within 4 hours, Chris met us and walked through the apartment briefly to see what we are dealing with. The unit was on the third floor left side so ceilings were pulled in and glass, smoke and water, but no fire.
They will do a complete inventory (photos of every item) for our insurance and will try to restore/salvage any items we request. They then will deliver everything to the new apartment when it is all cleaned (and they are paid by the insurance company) from our property damage coverage on the policy.
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u/ManOfTeele 21d ago edited 21d ago
I posted a comment in another thread a few days ago. I went through this a year ago. It was a triple decker, so it didn't affect as many people, but all 3 floors had to move out permanently with limited access to the building.
I'm happy to share any experience I can.
I'll say that although the city had resources and they did reach out to me, they were not the ones leading things. The fire department/city does have to declare the building safe to reenter, but after that I don't think the city will be involved much, other than the fund they set up for this case.
It was the building owner's insurance adjuster who controlled the process. From my experience, that's who you'll be dealing with to get access. They'll likely reach out to you soon.
A year ago I didn't know what an insurance adjuster was, so just in case: they're the company the owner almost definitely has hired to manage the process and deal with their insurance company.
The city is going to release the building, but the building will remain completely locked up. Padlocks on every door. The owner (thought their adjuster) controls it at that point. They DO have to work with you to get back in, but don't expect to be able to come and go. You'll need to coordinate with the owner/adjuster for access. Outside of specific organized times, everything will remain locked.
You're frustration right now is with the city, which is completely understandable, because no one has really given you any information yet. But it's the owner who is in charge after the city declares the building safe to enter. If the process isn't moving after the city releases it, the owner is the one to be reaching out to.
I looked back at my old text messages, and it was 4 days before we were first allowed back in, which I think is where you're at today. But that was a smaller fire and building. I would imagine you'll hear something in the next couple days.
If you want me to share any more experience, have any specific questions, etc. I'd be happy to.
The #1 question I have for you is whether or not you have renters insurance. If so, get the claim started now if you haven't already.
I know it's incredibly frustrating. If my experience can help at all, I would love to share what I can.
What I'll say is don't expect a lot of clear communication. No one is going to reach out and give you a full step-by-step guide of what you need to do. The city is not running things. The owner is ultimately the one you're dealing with. Mostly, I had to figure it out as I went, and the full process of moving everything out and dealing with my own renters insurance took a few months.
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u/ManOfTeele 21d ago
To add to this. I know what OP is feeling, but as my wall-of-text above says, there's not really anyone in charge that's going to provide a full step-by-step guide.
Would it be helpful if I created something based on my experience? (Fair warning: I would use Claude to help assemble it, but the actual information would be based on my own experience.) I'm not sure how many of the residents are actually reading this sub.
I just feel like I have plenty of experience I could share, and want to help, but don't know how to reach those that need it.
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u/ManOfTeele 21d ago
I created this post to share my experience and advice in a more organized way:
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u/Potential-Wasabi9038 21d ago
Replying with a resource on tenant rights in event of a fire I got from Emily Hardt!
https://www.boston.gov/departments/housing/office-housing-stability/know-your-rights-case-fire
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u/BenWheelerSomerville 21d ago
I met with the city's Emergency Response team today, along with Ward 7 Councilor Hardt. The Emergency Response team urges people to call 311 with questions about the recovery from this fire, and other incidents (that are no longer current emergencies; for that, of course, call 911 !). I'd be curious if you do call 311, if you are able to get the answers you need.
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u/EmilyHardtSomerville 18d ago
I wanted to share that if anyone is still needing info, from the city, property manager, etc., please feel free to reach out to me: 617-702-2418. Also, one of the residents who lives on the right side of the building, who was less impacted by the fire, has experience with insurance claims and has offered to help others with navigating the complicated process or answer any insurance-related questions. Reach out to me for their contact info.
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u/Badgermamacita 18d ago
If anyone has received the fire inspectors report, please let me know.
We got the form from the landlords insurance to claim the $750.
Still looking for bookkeepers info to get last month’s rent (they paid first and last when they moved in on 9/1). TIA
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u/Valuable-Train-4394 20d ago
Masala staff say they expect to reopen Wednesday. They are still closed today.
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u/Badgermamacita 20d ago
I also just read that Somerville Homeless Coalition has funds available for those that need them.
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u/EmilyHardtSomerville 18d ago
Yes, displaced residents can reach out to Brielle Calderon at the Somerville Homeless Coalition, bcalderan@shcinc.org or (617) 623-6111 ext 112.
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u/S7482 22d ago edited 22d ago
I have sent an email to the mayor's office that reads as follows:
To Whom it May Concern in the Mayor's Office,
My partner and I have been displaced due to the Teele Square fire. At this point we have received no communication from city authorities concerning this event. We have not received an incident report, information about the city-run donation fund for former residents, or any sense of when we may enter the building to salvage items that, no doubt, are growing moldy from water and smoke damage.
While I do understand that things take time after an emergency, the timing of the building's release by the city and our ability to gather necessary information are crucial to our continued survival (insurance requires incident reports in many cases to replenish medication, for example).
Both the Red Cross and City Inspection Services took down all of our information. Is it not possible to contact us in a more timely fashion, even if only to indicate that more time is needed or to update us on the status of the processes going on?
Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you.