Second person dies from fire in Hopkinton house without working smoke detectors
HOPKINTON - A second person has died from a fire that happened on Easter morning in Hopkinton at a home without working smoke detectors inside.
Authorities said Judith MacNeill, 68, died from her injuries at a Boston hospital.
Seldon MacNeill, 61, and a dog were also killed in the fire that broke out at the single level ranch house on Hayward Street around 1 a.m. Sunday morning. Friends said he was a veteran and a talented musician.
While the cause of the fire is not yet known, investigators said it's not thought to be suspicious.
Fire officials said smoke detectors could have saved their lives. They said seven people over the age of 60 died from fires in Massachusetts homes that did not have working smoke alarms between March 26 and April 9.
"Every household should have working smoke alarms on every level of the home, but seniors face the greatest risk of death or serious injury in a fire," Hopkinton Fire Chief Bill Miller, State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey, and Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement. "Please check in on older friends and relatives to see if they need assistance installing, maintaining, or replacing smoke alarms in their homes."
