Boston: Council Calls for Immediate Relief for Businesses Affected by Nubian Square Fire

~ The Boston City Council has adopted an emergency resolution urging the city to provide financial, operational and relocation assistance to businesses displaced by the six-alarm fire at the historic Edison Building in Nubian Square.

The fire broke out at about 7:30 a.m. Sept. 28 at 72 Warren St., in a commercial building spanning 62 to 78 Warren St. The blaze caused catastrophic damage to the building and businesses inside. No occupants were reported inside when the fire was discovered, though several firefighters sustained minor injuries while responding.

The resolution calls on the Mayor's Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, the Office of Small Business and other city departments to offer emergency financial aid, recovery planning, temporary relocation support, technical assistance and expedited city services. It also urges officials to connect affected businesses with eligible municipal, state, federal, nonprofit and private resources.

The council said the businesses were completely destroyed and would effectively have to start over, putting owners' and employees' incomes at risk and threatening the continued presence of longstanding neighborhood services. Several affected businesses are Black- and Brown-owned or operated, according to the resolution, which says they have contributed to employment, essential services and Nubian Square's cultural and commercial life.

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Small businesses can face significant challenges after losing premises, inventory, equipment, records, customers and operating income, the resolution states. Existing city resources include technical assistance providers and the Community Development Block Grant-funded Neighborhood Business Access Program, which may offer eligible businesses financing for working capital, equipment, stabilization and expansion. The council said those resources alone may not meet the immediate needs created by the fire.

The resolution also thanked the Boston Fire Department, Commissioner Rodney Marshall, firefighters and other emergency personnel for working for hours in dangerous conditions, including heavy smoke, a persistent basement fire and concerns about structural collapse and the weight of a rooftop billboard.

Built in 1923, the Edison Building formerly housed offices of the Edison Electric Illuminating Company. It is documented by the Massachusetts Historical Commission as historic resource BOS.11407 and is within the National Register-listed Dudley Station Historic District. The resolution says the building's triangular form and prominent location have shaped Nubian Square's historic character for more than a century.

The council urged the city to coordinate with the property owners and historic preservation agencies to assess the building's future, preserve historically significant features where feasible and give displaced businesses a meaningful opportunity to return to Nubian Square.

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