Three pets were killed and five people displaced when fire swept through a multi-family apartment house in Abington the day after Christmas.
Fire Chief John Glynn says heavy smoke was showing from the second floor when firefighters arrived at 26 Winthrop Street just before two-thirty Friday afternoon.
The blaze started on the second floor and spread to the third floor.
A second alarm was sounded when flames broke through the exterior of the building bringing firefighters from Weymouth, Rockland, Brockton, and Holbrook to the scene.
Chief Glynn said the age and layout of the building hampered firefighters in trying to contain the flames.
The fire was brought under control in about 45 minutes.
All occupants safely escaped but two dogs and a cat perished in the fire.
There were no injuries.
The building was heavily damaged and deemed uninhabitable.
The fire is under investigation but officials say it appears the cause is accidental.
The Red Cross assisted the displaced residents.
The Abington blaze was one of several fires on the South Shore and in greater Boston over the Christmas holiday.
A Plymouth home was the scene of a Christmas Eve fire at 60 South Meadow Road.
The fire broke out just before nine p.m. when an outside fire spread to an attached garage.
Chief Neil Foley credits an aggressive attack by firefighters in quickly knocking down the flames preventing major damage to the home.
A Christmas day fire damaged a Whitman home at 430 Washington Street.
Flames from an outside fire spread to a fence and a wooden deck of the home.
Quick work by firefighters kept the flames in check.
The deck was seriously damaged and vinyl siding on the rear portion of the house melted.
In Needham, a 21-year-old died and two occupants rescued in a house fire early Christmas Eve morning.
The victim was identified as Kayla Corrigan, who was set to graduate from Syracuse University next year.