Smoking Likely Cause of Chelmsford Fatal Fire

A fire last week that took the life of a 76-year-old Chelmsford resident has been deemed accidental and likely the result of the improper disposal of smoking materials.

State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan, Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan, Chelmsford Fire Chief Michael F. Curran and Chelmsford Police Chief James Spinney said the Dec. 30, 2014 fatal fire at 20 Summer Street, made the announcement Friday. Marion Guarino, 76, a resident of Summer Place, an independent senior living residence, died in the fire.

Officials say Guarino was the 56th fire victim in Massachusetts in 2014, 28 percent of whom were over 65. “Sadly, smoking continues to be a leading cause of fire deaths in Massachusetts,” Coan said. “At this time of New Year’s resolutions, let me remind people that it is never too late to quit.”

Chief Curran said, “This was a tragic loss to the Guarino family, her friends and the community as a whole. However, the fire sprinklers in this building contained the fire to a single apartment and kept the fire from spreading and making the tragedy any worse.”

The fire started on the victim’s bed and investigators believe smoking materials were the cause. She was seriously burned and died later that day in hospital.

The fire was jointly investigated by the Chelmsford Fire and Police Departments, and State Police assigned to both the Office of the State Fire Marshal and to the Office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.