Fire Chief Killed In 2-Alarm Western Mass. Fire

MONTGOMERY, MA — The Montgomery fire chief died after collapsing while fighting an overnight blaze in a small Western Massachusetts town.

Chief Stephen Frye, 59, collapsed while responding to the fire at 1524 Southampton Road in Montgomery, according to 22News. He was taken to the hospital where he later died. Condolences are starting to pour in from area fire departments on Twitter.

The Red Cross is working to find shelter for two people who managed to escape, but were displaced by the fire, according to Western Mass News.

The two-alarm fire started around 1 a.m. Wednesday. The entire house appears to be a total loss based on photos from local news outlets.

Montgomery is a town of fewer than 1,000 people in an area of about 15 square miles. The Montgomery Fire unit that first responded was an all volunteer department. Since there are no hydrants nearby tankers were brought in and several units and area fire departments responded, according to reports.

No word yet on the cause of the fire. The fire marshal is investigating.

Frye had served for the past 13 years as chief and four years prior he joined the department. He is survived by his wife, an adult son and daughter, all of whom live in Montgomery, according to the AP. His son is also a member of the fire department and had responded to the fire where his father collapsed.

Read more:

Read the full Associated Press Story here: Chief Collapses, dies.

And the 22News story: One firefighter in the hospital

And the WesternMass story: Firefighter killed