The fire that damaged 12 units on Robert Ford Road on Friday appears to have started due to an electrical problem, according to the Watertown Fire Department.
Watertown Deputy Fire Chief Tom McManus said the investigation into the four-alarm blaze lead to the basement of the building at 62 Robert Ford Road.
“It appears to have started with a short circuit in the basement,” McManus said. “The fire came out the window and went up the outside wall of the building.”
A photo by a neighbor showed flames climbing up the side of the building.
The fire displaced 31 people who live in the 12 units in the buildings, which are part of a Watertown Housing Authority complex near Lexington Street on the westside of Watertown. No one was injured.
“Thankfully it did not happen at night,” McManus said.
Crews are working to restore power to a nearby building that was not damaged by the fire, McManus said, but there was heavy damage to the affected
The fire broke out around 11 a.m. Friday, and took more than an hour to extinguish. Crews came from several communities to assist the Watertown Fire Department.