The Chelsea City Council on Nov. 18 adopted an emergency preamble and approved an emergency appropriation of $500,000 to fund immediate demolition at a former mill site at 1 Forbes Street after a 9‑alarm fire left multiple buildings in various states of collapse. City officials said demolition was necessary to fully extinguish active fire under collapsed roofs and to protect first responders, nearby residents and MBTA commuter‑rail operations.

City Manager Bridal Maltez told councilors the portion of the site posing the most immediate hazard — primarily the buildings adjacent to the railroad tracks — could be cleared by the end of the week if the funds were released. Maltez said the appropriation would not cover demolition of every structure on the property but would "demo enough of the buildings so that it minimizes the risk of this happening again." The emergency communication estimates the work at approximately $500,000.

The city reported the Chelsea Fire Chief, John Gutierrez, advised that portions of the roof collapse were inaccessible to firefighters and that demolition was required to complete firefighting operations. MBTA commuter‑rail service on the Newburyport/Rockport line was suspended during the response because of the site’s proximity to the tracks; officials said restoring safe rail operations was a key rationale for immediate action.

Councilors pressed the administration on how the city would recover costs. City Manager Maltez said the city has filed for receivership and will pursue recovery through municipal lien processes and receivership claims; he told the council the city was "confident" the funds would be recovered from the property owner. "1000%," Maltez said when pressed about recovery prospects.

The council adopted the emergency preamble by roll call (9 in favor, 2 absent), satisfying the charter’s two‑thirds requirement, then adopted the underlying financial order on one reading. Roll‑call tallies recorded the appropriation vote as 9 in favor, 0 opposed, 2 absent.

Officials said the city sought a procurement waiver to expedite contracting and had solicited three DCA‑certified firms for the emergency work. The administration also said it would return to the council with updates on the site and any further financial action required to complete demolition or remediation.

The council’s action authorizes city staff to use the general stabilization fund to supplement the FY2025 public works emergency demolition and boarding account for the Forbes site and to take legal steps to protect the city’s financial interests. The city manager and fire chief said the work is intended to abate immediate risk; further demolition and remediation decisions will be based on subsequent assessments and funding approvals.

The order adopted at the meeting directs the city to proceed with emergency demolition and to pursue recovery of costs through liens or receivership; the administration will report back with updates.