Boston

MBTA Plans to Resume Blue Line Service Monday Morning Following Massive East Boston Fire

MBTA customers are being asked to allow extra travel time Monday morning

A 9-alarm building fire in East Boston caused rail disruptions along the Revere stretch of the Blue Line over the weekend, but the MBTA says they plan to resume full service Monday morning.

Restoration efforts were scheduled to continue overnight, and the MBTA warned customers to allow for extra travel time on Monday.

Blue Line service was replaced with shuttle buses following the massive fire at the New England Casket Company.

The firefighting efforts resulted in significant flooding along the Blue Line track area at Orient Heights, damaging signal and power equipment.

MBTA crews made repairs to critical track and power infrastructure as they worked around the clock throughout the weekend.

“I want to thank our customers for their patience as we worked to restore the Blue Line to full service following the disruption caused by Friday night’s fire,” said MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak. “I especially want to thank our teams who worked around the clock to remediate flooding, and expedite repair and replacement of key power and signal equipment.”

Meanwhile, the Bennington Street building has been demolished in the wake of the fire. Boston Fire continues to check for any hot spots and says the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The devastating fire destroyed a family business, which had operated there for 75 years.

"It's heartbreaking," owner Louis Tobia, Sr. said. "But you know you can't bury your head in the sand."

The family believes a rooftop furnace may have caused the fire, which quickly spread.

Mayor Marty Walsh said the building's layout was an ongoing concern for the city's fire commissioner. The building had been expanded in several renovations over the years. The layout, combined with some of the chemicals used, made it a challenging fire to try to extinguish.

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