Two Men Die after Being Pulled from MA Fire
By Scott J. Croteau
Source MassLive.com, Springfield, Mass.
Two men pulled from a burning Fitchburg home Sunday morning have died, authorities confirmed.
The names of two men have not been released publicly. The state fire marshal’s office confirmed two people died as a result of the fire.
Fitchburg Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Dateo Jr. said firefighters were called to 14 Highland Ave. at 12:36 a.m. for a report of a building fire.
When firefighters arrived on scene, there was heavy fire coming from the two-and-a-half-story home, he said.
Firefighters found two men unconscious in the building. One man was found on the first floor and the other man was found on the second floor, Dateo said.
Both men were taken out of the building within 15 minutes of firefighters arriving on scene. The men were rushed to a nearby hospital.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation but Dateo said it does not appear to be suspicious. The fire was knocked down in about a half-hour.
A hazmat team was called to the scene after fire investigators located chemicals in the basement that appear to be from an unused photo lab, the deputy fire chief said.
“The initial focus is an overloaded power strip but the investigation is ongoing,” the state fire marshal’s office said. “It appears there were no smoke alarms in the home.”
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