Man Killed In Boiler Explosion At Revere Home
REVERE (CBS) – A man was killed in a boiler explosion at a home in Revere early Wednesday morning.
It happened around 3:30 a.m. at 785 Revere Beach Parkway.
The victim has been identified as 49-year-old Reyes Bertrand, a father of two young daughters.
Bertrand, who prided himself in his ability to fix things in the home, had gone into the basement to shut off the boiler when it exploded.
"He went downstairs to shut off the boiler, and I guess there was just too much pressure," family friend Jose Urias added. "Next thing you know there was an explosion."
Bertrand died at the scene.
"It was very terrible news because he was a great person, a great father," Urias said.
Firefighters said the boiler had been looked at by a just hours before the explosion. It's not yet clear who looked at the boiler or what work they performed on it.
The force of the explosion blew windows from the basement out onto the lawn. The explosion caused so much damage that firefighters had to form a line on their hands and knees to remove debris and reach the victim.
Nobody else inside the home was injured.
The State Department of Fire Services is investigating.
The house is uninhabitable following the blast.
Firefighters on scene called the incident a "rare occurrence."
"This is highly unusual. I've never seen anything quite like this before," said Fire Chief Christopher Bright.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kendall Buhl reports