2 Firefighters Dead in Boston

Two Boston firefighters are dead and more than a dozen more people were hospitalized after a fire broke out at a four-story brownstone this afternoon, reports CBS Boston. City Councilor Josh Zakim, who represents Boston's densely populated Back Bay neighborhood, confirmed the two deaths. No details were available about what happened. The nine-alarm fire started in the building's basement and quickly spread, with heavy winds sending smoke across the neighborhood, reports CNN. The city's EMS took at least 18 firefighters or police officers to local hospitals. No residents seem to be missing.

"On this tragic day, our thoughts and prayers are with the brave men and women who fought this fire," Zakim said. An assistant district attorney was sent to the scene, standard procedure in cases in which there are serious or potentially life-threatening injuries or deaths, said Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Dan Conley. There was no immediate word on the cause of the fire, which was still burning several hours later. (More Boston stories.)