WESTFIELD – A fire abruptly woke a city family early Sunday morning and sent a woman to the hospital.
Westfield Deputy Chief Patrick Egloff said the call came in at 7:20 a.m. by a neighbor who reported seeing smoke coming from 243 Russell Road.
When crews arrived on scene, they saw that it was a structure fire that began in a front bedroom.
It was determined that the fire was started by a candle being knocked over, Egloff said.
Homeowner Errol Nicholls said he was asleep and woke to smoke and chaos. It happened so fast, he isn’t even sure whether he heard the smoke detectors go off.
His daughter, Natasha Nicholls, 36, was transported to Baystate Medical Center with burns to her feet.
The fire started in her bedroom, Nicholls said.
Nicholls’ wife and 4-year-old grandson also live in the house, but no one else was injured. The family was able to vacate the home before firefighters arrived.
Egloff said the fire was quickly brought under control and no firefighters sustained any injuries.
The blaze caused $20,000 damage to the building, Egloff said, and $5,000 to the contents.
When asked whether the family needs any donations, June Wakzak, a close family friend said, “He has plenty of family and friends in the area.”
Nicholls, who is retired, said the family has insurance.
Westfield fire and rescue along with Westfield police responded to the blaze.
Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at [email protected]
Follow me on Twitter @charnoskyWNG
