On Tuesday, February 3, at approximately 6:25 p.m., the Somerville Fire Department was alerted to a fire in the Salt & Stone restaurant located at 463 Assembly Row. The restaurant is on the first floor of a six-story building with apartments above.
Firefighters – arriving quickly from the months-old Assembly Square Fire Station located about a half-mile away – found heavy smoke coming from the roof of the building as well as from inside the restaurant. It was determined that a fire originating in the flue pipe above a gas-fired oven was spreading up into the ceiling area. The flue pipe extends the entire height of the building and through the roof. An aerial ladder was raised to the roof and hose lines were advanced into the restaurant, connected to the building’s internal standpipe system, and advanced onto the roof. Firefighters had to cut open a portion of the flue pipe and open numerous access panels to put out the fire and ensure it was fully extinguished…