A Roxbury man carried his legally blind neighbor on his shoulder to safety when smoke and flames enveloped the upper floors of their apartment building on Wednesday morning, according to officials and media accounts.

The fire broke out around 3:30 a.m. on the third and fourth floors of 971 Tremont St., which has commercial space on the lower levels and apartments above, according to city records and fire officials.

Socrates Joseph helped his neighbor, an elderly woman, as he was escaping the burning building, according to the department and media accounts.

“Thank you to Socrates Joseph for rescuing his neighbor at today’s early morning fire on Tremont Street,” Boston Fire Commissioner Paul F. Burke posted on social media . “His quick actions of carrying his neighbor to an exit and pas

See Full Page