The top floor of the Lyceum Hall was removed after the fire. The March 4, 1914 edition of the Brookline Chronicle reported:

”Shortly after 4:00 AM Charles Pooley the nightman in Mack’s restaurant discovered a blaze near the cook stove and, rushing across the street to station “A”, summoned the department. Returning to the store he fought the flames with the assistance of two customers and, by the time Chief Johnson arrived, according to all outward appearance the fire was out but when the chief had a strip of wall removed he found that the flames were racing through the building between the partitions and the dry timbers made excellent food for the flames.

A second alarm was sounded and later a third calling all the Brookline apparatus to the scene. Tons of water were poured into the windows and the slate-over-shingles roof was torn asunder by the high pressure service causing a shower of slate to pour down on the firefighters.”

1914 photo by L. F. Foster, Boston.