Fire on Mass. Ave. Blocks Traffic

Trucks responding to a fire at 3 Bow St. stopped traffic on Mass. Ave. for about two hours Saturday evening.

A working fire--a fire between a one-and two-alarm fire--in the kitchen of the penthouse apartment above Omni Travel began at 7:31 p.m. and was cleared by 9:40 p.m.

"I believe there was someone there," said Brian Mickle, Cambridge supervisor of emergency communications, although he said no one was injured. The extent of the damage to the apartment was unknown.

The Cambridge Fire Department sent two ladder trucks and three engines to the scene. Two ambulances also responded.

Police directed traffic and diverted city bus routes away from Mass. Ave. and Bow Street for over two hours.

The flashing lights and smoke-filled air drew a steady crowd of onlookers throughout the action.

The fire also caused confusion for the members of the "12 Bars of Christmas" tour. Their fourth stop was the Bow and Arrow Pub, next door to the fire.

"We do a shot every third stop," said a woman who had lost track of the bus. "It's for Boston Catholic Charities."

Although the Bow remained open during the fire, the group decided instead to continue their tour at John Harvard's Brewhouse and the House of Blues.