Update, Sunday morning.  Scroll down.
Update #2:  Video added.

A FIRE BROKE OUT IN A LARGE APARTMENT BUILDING in Malden, Massachusetts, this morning (Saturday) just before 6 am.  The large, U-shaped brick building is five stories high and the first-arriving firefighters found fire showing from a top floor unit.  In short order, the fire demanded a total of six alarms in the sub-freezing weather and brought fire units from 17 departments.

Boston Herald / Garfinkel photo

The fire was declared “contained” at 10:30 am, but it is still an active incident.  Firegeezer will update this story later when more information is made available.  Read the early report in the Boston Herald HERE.

Update, Sunday morning:
The fire was extinguished after 20 fire companies had been mustered to attack the 80-yr.-old brick building.  The Boston Globe summarizes:

“It was extremely difficult firefighting,’’ said Malden Assistant Chief John Colangeli, standing before the badly damaged Mystic Side apartment building yesterday afternoon as firefighters continued to contend with hot spots more than nine hours after the call came in. A charred sink, blackened house plant, and other debris from upper floors littered the soot-covered mulch in front of the building, where shrubs were encased in ice from the fire hoses.

The fire started in a corner apartment on the upper floor of the 4 1/2-story, U-shaped building at roughly 5:30 a.m., Malden and state officials said. The 80-year-old brick building, which sits at 503-509 Pleasant St., has 30 one-bedroom units on each side. On the east side, all 30 were left uninhabitable. On the west side, residents will be displaced until officials declare that half structurally sound, city officials said.

Three residents were taken to the hospital  for smoke inhalation, including one woman pulled from the upper story by firefighters on Malden’s Ladder 3.  Three firefighters also sustained minor injuries.  The fire and hot spots were completely out after about ten hours.

Boston Globe / Ryan

The Boston Globe has a good photo gallery HERE.

Update:  WCVB-TV has this video report with some fire footage: