The fire occurred on February 2, 1985 at 948 Brookline Boulevard. It was the second fire at La Pizzeria Roma in less than two months. The first one was minor. This one closed the pizza shop down for good and the results are still visible in the empty lot next to the cleaners.

Battalion Chief Peter Michelli of Brookline, whose firefighters responded first to the 2:25am alarm, said indications were that an electrical fault was the cause of the fire, which resulted in $150,000 in damage.

The fire spread quickly and encompassed the entire three floors within an hour. The intense blaze caused two city firemen to be taken to Southside Hospital for treatment of injuries. Investigators suspected arson in the five-alarm inferno.

The building had been a part of the Brookline Boulevard landscape from the mid-1920s. For many years it was home to McClaren's Drug Store. Later it was Sam's Hardware and then Fred's Hardware. In 1977, Fred's moved two buildings up on the boulevard and shortly afterwards, 948 Brookline Boulevard became La Pizzeria Roma.