Overview
- Moozy’s Ice Cream & Yogurt Emporium, hit by a three-alarm blaze around 4:30 a.m. Thursday, was left gutted in downtown Belmont with no injuries reported.
- Fire Chief David DeStefano said the flames appear to have started in the basement, and a first-floor collapse forced firefighters to switch to an exterior attack.
- Fire departments from Cambridge, Boston, and Watertown assisted Belmont crews as thick smoke poured from the commercial building.
- Damage extended to nearby storefronts and prompted street closures through the morning, and by noon crews were working to contain a reported gas leak.
- Staff and patrons described the loss as heartbreaking for a neighborhood gathering spot that has anchored the storefront for more than a decade.