By: Laura Soukkavong –
BOSTON — A six-alarm fire gutted a historic commercial building in Roxbury’s Nubian Square, wiping out businesses and threatening jobs. Now, Boston City Council is demanding an urgent response to help the owners and employees facing the consequences.
The council adopted an emergency resolution calling for immediate financial assistance, relocation support and recovery services for businesses displaced by the September 28 fire at the Edison Building on Warren Street. The resolution, announced October 13, urges city agencies to move quickly to protect livelihoods and the economic stability of the neighborhood.
The fire broke out at approximately 7:30 a.m. at 72 Warren Street, part of a commercial property stretching from 62 to 78 Warren Street. The blaze escalated to six alarms and caused catastrophic damage. Officials reported that no occupants were inside when the fire was discovered, although several Boston firefighters suffered minor injuries battling the flames.
Firefighters faced dangerous conditions for hours, including heavy smoke, a persistent basement fire, the possibility of structural collapse and the weight of a large billboard on the roof. The council recognized Boston Fire Commissioner Rodney Marshall, firefighters and emergency personnel for their response.
For the businesses operating inside the building, the damage was devastating. Fire officials reported that the businesses were completely destroyed, leaving owners facing the prospect of rebuilding their operations from the ground up.
The impact extends beyond the loss of storefronts. Businesses can lose equipment, inventory, records and income in a single disaster, while employees face uncertainty about their paychecks and jobs. Prolonged closures or relocation can also make it difficult to retain customers and sustain operations.
Several businesses affected by the blaze are Black- and Brown-owned or operated. The council emphasized their longstanding contributions to Roxbury through jobs, services and investment in the neighborhood’s commercial and cultural life.
The emergency resolution calls on the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, the Office of Small Business and other city departments to provide the fullest possible assistance to displaced and damaged businesses.
Among the measures requested are emergency financial aid, recovery planning, temporary relocation assistance, technical support and expedited municipal services. The council also wants affected owners connected with eligible state, federal, nonprofit and private resources.
Boston already has programs that may help, including technical assistance providers and the Community Development Block Grant-funded Neighborhood Business Access Program. That program can offer eligible businesses financing for working capital, equipment, stabilization and expansion. But the council warned that existing resources may not be enough to meet the immediate needs created by the fire.
The destruction has also raised questions about the future of a prominent Roxbury landmark. Constructed in 1923, the Edison Building once housed offices of the Edison Electric Illuminating Company and has stood in Nubian Square for more than a century.
The property is documented by the Massachusetts Historical Commission as historic resource BOS.11407 and sits within the National Register-listed Dudley Station Historic District. Its triangular shape and highly visible location have made it a distinctive part of the neighborhood’s streetscape.
The council is urging coordination among city officials, property owners and historic preservation agencies to assess what can be done with the damaged building. It wants historically significant features preserved wherever feasible and displaced businesses given a meaningful chance to return to Nubian Square.
The resolution is a call for action, not an announcement that a specific emergency relief fund has already been approved or that money has been distributed. The city’s published statement does not identify a dollar amount for the assistance requested or a timetable for when affected businesses could receive support.
What is clear is the council’s message: recovering from the September fire will require more than repairing a building. For business owners and workers whose livelihoods were disrupted, the next decisions by city agencies could shape whether they can rebuild and remain part of Nubian Square’s commercial future.