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Two people were killed and five others hospitalized when fire broke out at the building on Acushnet Avenue. The State Fire Marshal's Office said investigators determined the fire started in a room on the second floor. They believe the fire was caused either by a microwave that was in use before the fire started, or the wall outlet it was plugged into at the time. Electrical fires are the second-leading cause of death for residential fires in Massachusetts, according to the state fire marshal. He also shared some new changes to the city's handling of rooming houses. The first victim, identified as 59-year-old Manuel Moreira, lived on the fourth floor and was removed from the building Tuesday night.
1 Dead, Several Hurt in Building Fire in New Bedford - NBC Boston
1 Dead, Several Hurt in Building Fire in New Bedford.
Posted: Tue, 28 Mar 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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“It’s just too painful to talk about right now,” said a woman at the scene of the fire Wednesday, who identified herself only as the sister of one of the residents who perished in the blaze. Firefighters remained on the scene throughout the rest of Tuesday and overnight to put out hot spots in the building. NBC 10 News learned there were no working sprinklers in the rooming house, which had 31 units.
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New Bedford firefighters rescued some and others jumped to escape a massive fire in a rooming house Tuesday night. Kruger said around two dozen people were rescued from the rooming house, with five residents taken to the hospital in serious condition. One person was later transferred to Mass General in critical condition. The Bristol County District Attorney’s office identified the man killed in the fire as Manuel Moreira, 59, who lived on the fourth floor of the rooming house. NEW BEDFORD — At least one person has died and two people remained unaccounted for Tuesday night, after a massive fire quickly engulfed a four-story brick rooming house in New Bedford’s North End. When emergency crews arrived, multiple people were hanging out of windows needing to be rescued, New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger said.
New Bedford still reeling from deadly rooming house fire
"At the same time of arrival of crews, we were able to rescue, I believe five tenants over ground ladders while simultaneously getting lines in place and started to attack the fire," he said. The fire was investigated by the New Bedford Fire Department, New Bedford Police Department, State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office, and state police assigned to the Bristol District Attorney’s office. Collectively, they determined that the fire started in Room 205, located at the left rear of the second floor. The building was previously owned by Dennis Arsenault, who owns at least one other rooming house in New Bedford.
New Bedford Building Collapses After Massive Overnight Fire
Enter the code you received via email to sign in, or sign in using a password. As an independent, nonprofit news outlet we are reliant on reader support to help fund the kind of in-depth journalism that keeps the public informed and holds the powerful accountable. Deeds show it was sold for $1 in December 2022 to “1305 Acushnet Ave LLC.” It is not clear if that means the building was sold to new owners or was part of a corporate restructuring. Kenneth Hoffman, listed as one owner of the property before it was sold, is also listed on corporate filings for the LLC that acquired the property in December. On arrival, the Fire Department immediately dispatched four crews to search the building for residents, but had to pull the crews out as the fire quickly ripped through the roof and made the walls unstable. “I brought some clothes for the people who will probably come back to see if there are any personal belongings left, they’re probably not, and then I’ll direct them to some of the resources in the city,” MacDonald said.
Many regional fire departments provided mutual aid, Wark said, and an ambulance task force was activated to assist in patient care and transport. “The bulk of the fire has been knocked down and crews will remain on scene through the night,” he said. The building partially collapsed, New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger told media at the scene, according to WJAR-TV in Providence.
Deadly Fire at New Bedford Rooming House Was an Accident, Investigators Find
The American Red Cross and Seven Hills Behavioral Health are assisting the displaced tenants. Firefighters initially started searching inside the building for tenants, but were forced out as conditions rapidly deteriorated, according to the fire chief. NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) — An investigation is underway into the cause of a fire that gutted a New Bedford rooming house Tuesday afternoon. The fire department inspected the building the week after the July email and worked with the property manager to correct the violations, according to the fire department. The fire alarm system worked appropriately the day of the fire,” a captain in the department’s fire prevention bureau who led the inspection wrote to the chief in an email following the fire.
Bangor, ME, Firefighters Rescue Two from Fire
The city of New Bedford along with nonprofit partners including the Inter-Church Council of Greater New Bedford have announced Rise Up For Homes as the official relief fund for individuals displaced by Tuesday’s rooming house fire on Acushnet Avenue. Firefighters worked through the night to knock down the flames, secure the building and remained working on demolition into Wednesday night. NEW BEDFORD — Firefighters discovered a second dead body Wednesday afternoon in the charred aftermath of a fire that ripped through a four-story rooming house in New Bedford’s North End. NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WJAR) — The body of a second victim was recovered Wednesday from the scene of a massive fire at a rooming house in New Bedford. The state sent a rehabilitation unit to support firefighters at the scene and a hazardous materials team to monitor air quality for potential harm to first responders and the community, Wark said. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell told media at the scene two residents of the building were missing as of Tuesday night, according to WCVB.
The Salvation Army will be meeting with other local emergency management partners and survivors to determine additional needs this week. Dartmouth, Acushnet and Fairhaven fire departments provided mutual aid to assist with the fire. Westport, Marion, Wareham, Lakeville and Freetown provided ambulance services as an ambulance task force.
The fire that ripped through a North End rooming house last week, leaving two dead and one in critical condition, was ruled an accident. But the 31-unit building had multiple fire code violations at the time of the deadly blaze, the fire department confirmed Wednesday. The fire — determined to have stemmed from a second-floor tenant's microwave and/or the electrical outlet it was plugged into — resulted in increased scrutiny on sprinkler statute enforcement of New Bedford rooming houses. At the time of the fire, the Royal Crown had not yet installed its system, but it has since been confirmed the landlords were well into the process, having been granted a building permit for installation on March 23, only five days before the fire. Prior to that, work completed included having plans drafted and reviewed, and looking for a contractor to tie in a city water supply. Fire crews reported seeing heavy smoke and flames and occupants hanging from the windows and jumping from the building to escape the danger inside.
The recovery came as investigators used heavy equipment throughout the day to delayer and examine the building on Acushnet Avenue. The fire quickly grew to five alarms, drawing some 80 firefighters from local communities to the scene, officials said. "Electrical fires are the second-leading cause of residential fire deaths in Massachusetts," said State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey. Receive in-depth news stories and arts and culture coverage from around New Bedford in your inbox. There are two people still “unaccounted for,” Kruger said Tuesday night. Gilmore came back to the scene less than 24 hours after jumping from the second floor of the burning building.
At least 1 killed, 2 unaccounted for in rooming house fire in New Bedford - Turn to 10
At least 1 killed, 2 unaccounted for in rooming house fire in New Bedford.
Posted: Tue, 28 Mar 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
"If we open a shelter for residents, they don’t get the assistance so it’s a trade-off," Hall said. "A shelter won’t stay open for more than a few days, so if we give them financial assistance it at least gives them a chance to go out and start seeing what they can find." Firefighters initially started searching inside the building for tenants, but were forced out as conditions rapidly deteriorated. Kruger said firefighters rescued at least three residents, while several others were forced to jump from their windows. The rooming-house-style building contained 31 apartments and around 24 occupants were rescued. A temporary shelter was set up at Seven Hills on Acushnet Avenue for victim services.
The remainder of the building was deemed structurally unsound and was demolished in the days following the fire. The Red Cross and Salvation Army Disaster Team were seen Tuesday night helping out residents. New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger said about five others were taken to a hospital, with two people in serious condition. Five occupants with injuries were removed from the building and taken to St. Luke’s Emergency Department, with one person in serious condition while one man in critical condition was taken to Rhode Island Hospital.
He said the injuries were varied, the result of smoke inhalation, fire and jumping out of the windows. "Individuals who live in rooming houses, by and large, are more vulnerable than some other residents," said Josh Amaral, director of New Bedford's Office of Housing and Economic Development, which is one of the city entities that has taken part in relief efforts. "It’s a difficult population to rehouse, and it’s a difficult climate to rehouse anyone anyway." According to Lima and others, rooming houses like the Royal Crown offer an alternative for residents who cannot afford a typical one- or two-bedroom apartment. Unlike the typical monthly rates for most rental units, many of the Royal Crown residents afforded their living arrangements on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Building blueprints show residents shared bathrooms with their floormates.
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