NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) -- A woman and her two children were killed Monday in a fast-moving fire that swept through a multifamily home in this city's South End section, officials said.
The three people, who haven't been named, were on the top floor of a three-story home. Officials said battery-operated smoke detectors didn't work on the second floor, where the fire appeared to have started just before 4 a.m.
''Working smoke detectors give us the opportunity to have more time,'' said New Bedford Fire Chief Paul Leger. ''More people are able to get out of the buildings quicker and notify us a lot quicker.''
Several residents and a few firefighters also were injured in the blaze, said state Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan.
Firefighters said they arrived to a chaotic scene, where several residents were hanging from third story windows in an attempt to escape. They said flames shot out of the house and smoke billowed from the roof.
Firefighters doused the blaze and raised ladders for residents to climb down.
The cause of the fire was being investigated, Coan said. It appeared to be accidental and started in the second-floor kitchen, he said.
''We will continue to focus our attention in that kitchen area,'' Coan said Monday night.
