The store was evacuated, along with the two buildings on either side, Flaherty said. Crews from Brookline, Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and Newton were ultimately called to 1299 Beacon St., where a fire in the basement of Neenas Lighting was reported at 1:26 p.m., Brookline Fire Chief of Operations Keith Flaherty said. BROOKLINE — Nearly 100 firefighters battled heat and difficult conditions to douse a three-alarm blaze burning in the basement of a Coolidge Corner lighting store Thursday afternoon. Some firefighters suffered heat exhaustion. A few also suffered lacerations and burns, but none required a hospital transport, he said. No one inside the buildings was injured. Advertisement When crews first arrived on scene, there was heavy smoke coming from the basement, but stored stock from the lighting store made getting to the fire tough, Flaherty said. There was “very difficult access to the fire due to the quantity of the storage,” Flaherty said. “You had to turn sideways to make your way and make a path through the inventory to even get at the fire.” As of around 3:40 p.m., the fire had been knocked down, and crews were still trying to put out any smoldering areas they could find, he said. Flaherty said the cause won’t be known for a few days. But the damage appears to be limited to the store’s basement and first floor, he said. He said relief firefighters were coming on scene to deal with what is left of the fire shortly before 4 p.m. Earlier in the afternoon, at the front of the two-story building, smoke poured out of broken windows and an open door. Lamps could still be seen hanging on display inside. Scores of firefighters were on scene, and a ladder truck had its boom extended over the roof of the neighboring building. The burning building was within feet of the MBTA Green Line, but trains continued running past. Advertisement In a parking lot in the building’s rear, firefighters used a pair of ladders to climb onto the building’s roof, while smoke came out of an open doorway. A man who described himself as the building’s owner declined to comment. “Not just now,” he said, as he stood at the edge of the parking lot in the rear of the building, as firefighters worked. The smoke had subsided by shortly before 3 p.m. Santosh Chalki, an employee of a business across the street, Cigars and More, saw the response. “I can see smoke, but it’s something burning inside. I can sense from the smell that it’s plastic. Right now, it’s completely put out. There’s a fire truck and ambulance,” Chalki said in a telephone interview. Road closures were in place in the area of Harvard Street, Longwood Avenue, St. Paul Street, and Stearns Road as crews responded to the blaze, according to police. Fire at Neena's lighting showroom on Beacon, Coolidge Corner. pic.twitter.com/EmgFdyw9PG — 🎉 Marlee New-year 🎉 (@Dizbiz33) July 19, 2018 All companies are responding to the area of 1200 Beacon St for a working fire — Brookline Fire Dept. (@BrooklineFD) July 19, 2018 Globe correspondent Katie Camero contributed to this report. John Hilliard can be reached at john.hilliard@globe.com.<doc-sep>Crime & Safety Fire At Rainbow Sushi On Harvard St Disrupts Morning Commute A couple firefighters were reportedly injured in the fire. Reply BROOKLINE, MA— At least two firefighters were injured and the 66 MBTA Bus and traffic were rerouted, causing major disruptions in Coolidge Corner Wednesday morning, as firefighters worked to put out a fire at 187 Harvard. Around 6:30 a.m. firefighters were called to the brick building near the corner of Harvard and Alton Place for a report of a fire. When firefighters arrived smoke was visible from the building, but when they opened the back door to Rainbow Sushi, where the kitchen was, flames poured out. Just around 7 a.m. Brookline firefighters had been put out the fire, and checked the other businesses for traces of fire. At 8 a.m. the sushi restaurant's kitchen was almost unrecognizable as such, the ceiling torn as stacks of plates sat covered in ash and soot at the back of the building. No word yet on damage estimates, but firefighters told the building manager there was minimal water damage in the basement and that the fire had mostly been contained to the kitchen. The businesses which sit on either side of the restaurant, a dental center and the Brookline Dry Cleaners had fans going to help with the heavy smell of smoke. Both said they would not be open Wednesday on account of the fire. Rainbow Sushi, which took the place of Haru, was one of the businesses at 185-203 Harvard St., which are all part of the same building and property. The property owner is listed as belonging to Demetrios Macropoulos et al, care of Alton Realty Trust. The building was last accessed at a value of $1.5 million. The land was assessed as being worth $3.8 million. Even at 9 a.m. traffic was moving, but slowly past the area. Watch for serious lingering delays in the area. Harvard was blocked off at 6:45 AM. pic.twitter.com/Qo87UZOa9e — Doctor Octothorpe (@DoctorOctothorp) July 18, 2018 Total chaos just south of Coolidge Corner this morning. Maybe a fire? #66 buses are not getting down Harvard Street. Cars and @MBTA buses being re-routed through side streets. @universalhub — Chris Dempsey (@cdempc) July 18, 2018 Breaking: More details to come.<doc-sep>A fire at Rainbow Sushi on Harvard Street caused extensive damage to the restaurant's kitchen area this morning, but quick work from firefighters kept it confined to the back of the restaurant. The call came in around 6:36 a.m. Brookline Fire Chief John Sullivan said, and firefighters were able to knock it down within the first 10 minutes. According to Sullivan the fire was located in a storage area just off the kitchen. A fire official at the scene said the fire was visible as soon as firefighters opened the door. "The men and women of the Brookline Fire Department did an outstanding job keeping it to a small fire," Sullivan said. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Both the town's wiring and health departments are evaluating the site. Sullivan said the most severe damage seemed to be in and around some electrical equipment. The wiring and health departments will help rule causes in or out, Sullivan said. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries and are being evaluated, Sullivan said. The fire was contained to Rainbow Sushi and kept from spreading to other businesses in the row. Rainbow Sushi's neighbor, a dental business, will be closed for the day. Large fans were set up to help clear out the heavy smoke.<doc-sep>
Crime & Safety 3- Alarm Fire At Neena's In Coolidge Corner, Brookline [Photos] It was a tricky fire that prompted fire companies from Boston, Cambridge, Newton and Somerville to come help out in the heat of the day. Reply BROOKLINE, MA — Firefighters battled a 3-Alarm Fire with heavy smoke and hot conditions on a hot day in the basement of Neena's Lighting on Beacon Street in Coolidge Corner Thursday afternoon. The fire prompted several road closures including Beacon Street for most of the afternoon as Brookline and area firefighters, some 150 in total, worked to put out the fire 1299 Beacon St. Patch was at the scene, where the front windows of Neena's lighting shop were shattered and firefighters were still fighting the active fire at 2:30 p.m. Brookline Police were out directing traffic, which had become backed up beyond Summit Avenue and both directions on Harvard Street. Several firefighters suffered minor heat related injuries and some lacerations, according to Chief of Operations Keith Flaherty. He said the trickiest part of the fire was getting access to the basement, because of lighting shop inventory down there blocking passage. "We had to go in sideways in some places," he said. It also took a while to find the origin of the fire. "It took a while to find the seed,"he told Patch at 3:30 p.m. The department got the call about the fire at 1:26 p.m. firefighters were on scene quickly from Brookline, then Newton and Cambridge came as the fire went to a 2-alarm and then Boston and Somerville came in to help out as it hit 3-alarms. >>>Subscribe to Brookline Patch for more local news and real-time alerts When firefighters first arrived they reported the front of the building facing Beacon Street looked, ok, but another crew which went around back to check out the back door, were greeted with heavy fire in the basement of the building. As a precaution, the parking lot at Trader Joe's was closed, although the grocery store stayed open. An adjacent yoga studio was evacuated, according to Tatyana Souza the Coolidge Corner Yoga owner. She the evacuation happened to happen between classes so there wasn't too much of a disruption. Souza said her yoga studio had a firewall, so she was hopeful there wouldn't be too much damage. At this point there's no official word yet on the damage estimate.