Acushnet fire kills couple in their 80s on Christmas; neighbor helped resident escape
ACUSHNET - A fire in Acushnet, Massachusetts early on Christmas morning killed a man and woman in their 80s and injured a firefighter, authorities said.
Pictures taken by a neighbor showed the two-and-a-half-story home on Garfield Street engulfed in flames. The fire department and police responded to the scene after multiple 911 calls were made just before 2 a.m. Wednesday.
The names of the two people who died have not been released, but a neighbor told WBZ-TV they were husband and wife. The firefighter who was taken to a hospital is expected to recover, officials said.
"On behalf of the Acushnet Fire Department, I want to express our heartfelt condolences to the victims' family and loved ones," Acushnet Fire Chief Thomas Farland said in a statement. "This is a heartbreaking day for them and our community."
Neighbor helped a resident escape
Another neighbor who saw the fire pounded on the door of the burning home, helping one resident to escape safely.
Responding firefighters were initially told that three people were unaccounted for, but another resident of the multi-family home was determined to be out of the country at the time.
"Very sweet, gentle people"
Louise Staiti, who lives across the street, said she woke up during the commotion, looked outside and saw a "ball of fire"
She said the victims were her longtime neighbors, a devout, kind married couple with two grown children.
"Known each other for almost 40 years, the whole neighborhood, we're just like an old community. Very sweet, gentle people," she remembered. "To lose both your parents on Christmas Eve, I can't imagine. They were very sweet, charming people and I'm so sorry for the family's loss. They'll be missed."
Firefighters didn't hear smoke alarms in Acushnet fire
It took firefighters an hour to bring the fire under control after it did major damage to the home. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
According to State Fire Marshal Jon Davine, witnesses and first responders did not hear any smoke alarms sounding during the fire.
"I don't know how the firemen knew what signals went off, the electricity had already gone off," said Staiti.
"Please, if you do one thing today, talk to the people you care about and be sure they have working smoke alarms on every level of their homes," Davine said in a statement.