WESTFIELD – A fire claimed the life of a city resident Wednesday night, two days before Christmas.
Neighbors called 911 at 7:16 p.m. to report the blaze, and when Westfield firefighters arrived on the scene three minutes later, they found the house located at 64 Mill Street fully engulfed, Westfield Fire Deputy Chief Mark Devine said Thursday morning.
“The whole first floor was involved when first firefighters arrived on scene,” Devine said.
The body was found on the first floor, which is where the fire appears to have started, he said.
The identity of the victim is not yet being released.
Devine and the state fire marshall returned to the house Thursday morning to further investigate the fire and to try to determine a cause.
“We believe it started on the first floor, but that could change as we continue to investigate,” Devine said.
The fire went to two alarms as mutual aid came in from outside the city, Westfield police reported Wednesday night.
According to online records, the house at 64 Mill Street was built in 1880.
This is Westfield’s second fire fatality this year. In July, 64-year-old Frederick A. Kupec died after being rescued from a fire at his home located at 23 Family Lane. A cigarette in a sofa had started that fire when the victim had apparently nodded off while smoking.
Stay tuned to The Westfield News online for further details regarding last night’s tragedy.
Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at [email protected]
