Woman Dead After Central MA House Fire

SOUTHBRIDGE, MA — A Southbridge woman in her 60s has died following a three-alarm fire at 417 South St. on Monday, according to state and local fire officials.

Fire crews from the Southbridge Fire Department responded to the fire shortly after 3 p.m. When arriving, crews saw fire coming from the side windows and heavy smoke visible from the street side.

Neighbors told firefighters that a woman who lived on the first floor was still inside the building. Fire crews were able to get the woman out of the home, and she was taken to UMass Memorial - Harrington Hospital in critical condition.

Later in the day, she was stabilized and transferred by medical helicopter to a Boston-area hospital for further treatment.

On Tuesday afternoon, fire officials confirmed that she had died. Southbridge fire said the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will now determine the exact cause and manner of her death.

"Our hearts go out to the family that lost a loved one," Southbridge Fire Chief Paul F. Normandin wrote in a statement.

On Monday, about 50 firefighters and chief officers responded to the scene. The fire was declared under control at about 3:27 pm, and no firefighters were injured, officials said.

A second female was taken to the hospital for unrelated medical complaints after arriving at the scene, but she was not home at the time of the fire.

The building on South Street has now been deemed uninhabitable by the Southbroidge Building Commissioner.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by multiple agencies, including state police. But right now, fire officials said it does not appear suspicious.

Investigators determined that the fire began on the first floor in the kitchen near the left side of the building. They are considering several causes, all of which were accidental.

During interviews with first responders, it was revealed that they did not hear smoke alarms upon arrival at the scene.

Fire officials are now urging the public to check their smoke alarms. You can do that by checking the manufacturing date on the back to be sure they're less than 10 years old, testing them to see if they are working properly and putting fresh alkaline batteries in alarms that use them.

This was the eighth fatality this year in a Massachusetts home without working smoke alarms, according to State Fire Marshal Davine.

"It's too early to say exactly how this fire started, but we know that smoke alarms can reduce the risk of dying in a fire by nearly 50%," Davine said. "Today's residential fires burn faster and create more deadly smoke than they did just a few years ago. Working smoke alarms alert you to that danger earlier - and that can be the difference between life and death."

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