2 More Victims Found In Ruins Of Worcester Triple Decker

WORCESTER, MA — Two more people have been confirmed dead as a result of a four-alarm fire in a triple-decker near downtown Worcester on Saturday — the city's deadliest fire in years.

During a news conference Monday, acting Worcester Fire Chief Martin Dyer said investigators found two people dead inside the 2 Gage St. home on Monday. The city previously announced two deaths on Saturday afternoon. Officials have not identified any of the victims.

Apart from the two new deaths, local officials had little more to add about the cause of the fire. The Worcester County District Attorney's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are aiding the investigation.

"The true investigation really started today," Dyer said Monday. "This is when we were able to gain decent access to the building."

Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. responded to questions about whether the fire was suspicious by saying the investigation was still in very early stages.

"Cause and origin we don't have yet," Early said.

Dyer said rescue workers encountered multiple problems properly searching the home. The roof collapsed during the fire, compromising the structure. On Sunday, animal control officers had to remove a number of snakes that were living in one of the apartments and survived the blaze.

The fire broke out around 3:30 a.m. Saturday near the corner of Gage Street and Eastern Avenue, just a few blocks from the downtown area. When firefighters arrived, they found one resident who had jumped from the third floor of the building, Dyer said. That person was taken to the hospital along with several other residents.

The fire left at least 20 people without a home, Dyer said. He also said the "potential does exist for more victims" to be found as the search of the building continues.

The death toll on Monday eclipsed a February 2021 fire where three people — Edna Mae Williams, Gerald Prince and Woodrow Adams Sr. — died along Jaques Avenue. The fire may become one of the worst in city history, following the cold storage warehouse fire in 1999, where six firefighters died; and a 1968 fire in the Indian Hill neighborhood that claimed five teenagers in a cabin.

The 2 Gage St. building is located at the top of a steep hill near I-290. Property records show the owners of the building are Wendy Wang and Huanchen Li, both Westford residents. Wang and Li own at least two other multifamily properties in Worcester, according to the Worcester County Registry of Deeds.