Arriving fire companies encountered heavy smoke and heat coming from the basement. Firefighters initially stretched hose lines into the basement to attempt to find and extinguish the fire, however conditions inside the building continued to deteriorate and all firefighters were ordered to evacuate due to safety concerns. An exterior attack was then launched using three aerial ladders and numerous large diameter hoses. The first floor and roof of the building collapsed, which in addition to heavy smoke, made the fire difficult to extinguish. The fire ultimately took over 8 hours to fully extinguish.

Both the Rei Da Picanha restaurant and the Damata Barbershop are total losses. The Total Wireless store at #133 also sustained heavy damage as firefighters had to open the roof and pull down ceilings when the fire threatened to overrun a firewall. Other businesses, including the Santander Bank, sustained smoke damage.

Five Alarms were needed bringing crews from Belmont, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Lexington, Malden, Medford, Revere, and Stoneham. Other cities covered Somerville fire stations. Two Somerville firefighters suffered electrical shocks while operating at the scene. They were transported to the hospital and later released. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time