Video of a Fire in the Fenway Filmed From the 50th Floor of the Prudential Building

Photo via Matt See

As firefighters battled a blaze by the Muddy River on Thursday, a bystander who spotted the flames from 50 stories up captured the scene on his smartphone.

According to Boston fire officials, the flames broke out in the Fenway neighborhood around 7:30 p.m. when the tall reeds “once again” caught on fire, according to reports. It was the second time in one week that firefighters responded to the area to put out a blaze. Boston Fire Department Spokesman Steve MacDonald says  the department deals with Fenway brush fires at least a few times each year due to the brittle and dry reeds that grow along the river. “It’s adjacent to walkways that are used by a lot of people walking and jogging, so we do get the brush fires often. They are put out pretty quickly, but are usually pretty spectacular because of the reeds, and they they generate a lot of smoke.”

That smoke, and the accompanying flames, were easily identifiable, even from the other side of the city on Thursday night. While Matt See was touring the Skywalk on the 50th floor of the Prudential Tower with his wife and son, he noticed the flames raging along the Muddy River, and quickly took out his smartphone. After capturing some video of the fire, See says he switched to a camera lens and took some additional photos.

The cause of the fire was not determined, according to MacDonald, but he says it could have been from a discarded cigarette based on the high pedestrian traffic along the path near the reeds and the river.

Below is the video of the fire captured by See as he watched from the Prudential building.