After a week of balmy weather, a cold wind had picked up to near gale force and was sweeping across Boston Harbor into densely populated South Boston, with its rows of neat three-decker homes separated only by narrow alleys on the sides and almost back to back in the rear.

It was under these conditions that in rapid succession the first of three unrelated blazes broke out in Southie.

The first fire on E. Street at 10:30 a.m. started in a clothes dryer, destroying a triple-decker and convenience store, while the second seriously damaged an East Broadway funeral home and three residential buildings.

Weary firefighters had barely knocked down these two fires when a third fire, which proved to be the largest and by far the worst, broke out at 9 Swallow Street at 1:30 a.m. the following morning.

Pushed by swirling wind gusts, the fire quickly spread to 7 and 5 Swallow Street. The domino effect also pushed flames to the rear where homes on East Sixth Street became engulfed. Before the fire could be brought under control, six triple-deckers housing 18 families had either been destroyed or burned to the extent that they were temporarily uninhabitable.

Five Swallow Street: Mary McNiff

East Broadway

At East Broadway, the five-alarm fire was caused when at least one cigarette ignited a wooden cupola on the roof of an apartment above the Spencer Funeral Home.

Guests at a Halloween gathering were smoking on the cupola and left cigarette butts on a window sill, unconfirmed news reports said. The fire then spread to three triple-deckers.

Association member Shirley Duggan, who lives directly across the street from the funeral home, watched the fire blowing across the roofs of the connected three-deckers as firefighters fought to contain the blaze from spreading further.

"My sister-in-law, Anna Litif, owns one of the buildings. Although it wasn't destroyed, the fire and water damage made it unlivable pending extensive renovations.

"There is only a narrow space between the funeral home building and neighboring apartments. It's so easy for a fire to jump between buildings when a strong wind is blowing.... The night of the fires there was an exceptionally strong wind. I went over to East Sixth and Swallow Street the next day. As bad as it was, many more homes could have been lost. I heard the firefighters evacuated everyone in the neighborhood as a precaution."

Shirley recently retired as an assistant to House majority whip Barbara Gardner. Prior to working at the State House for 14 years, she was a teacher in the Saugus and Southbridge school systems.

In the wake of the fires, the Boston Emergency Management Agency set up a command center at the L Street Curley Community Center. Staffers have been on hand to help tenants find alternative housing and expedite permits for owners who plan to rebuild. Within three days of the fire, 73 people had registered for assistance.

Several area businesses offered assistance to the victims. Logan Airport Hilton provided several free rooms and the Charlestown YMCA's Constitution Inn made 40 rooms with kitchenettes available. Members in Southie, such as John "Doc" Tynan, said that the response from neighbors offering food, clothing, money and assistance with rebuilding was typical of that community. "It's typical of what happens when there's a tragedy. As a rule people mind their own business, but when others need help there's no place like South Boston," said Tynan.