23 suffer minor injuries in Commonwealth Ave. fire

A fire injured almost two dozen people in Parkchester Tuesday morning after it spread from a furniture store to neighboring homes.

Officials say it started in Beverly Hills Furniture on the first floor of 1547 Commonwealth Ave. around 5:30 a.m. and quickly traveled up to 12 apartments. Hundreds of firefighters responded to the seven-alarm fire and battled the flames for over five hours.

Twenty-three people, including a firefighter and nine children, suffered minor injuries.

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The store owner did not want to give his name but said one of his friends messaged him on Facebook to tell him the store was burning down.

"The store was one of my babies," he said. "All the stores are one of your babies."

The American Red Cross says it is providing temporary housing for eight families displaced by the fire.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Last week, a fire on Prospect Avenue in Belmont killed 12 people. It was the deadliest fire in New York City in over 25 years.