WESTFIELD – A 64-year-old Family Lane resident succumbed to injuries sustain in a single-family house fire early this morning while being treated at Noble Hospital.
Firefighters pulled an unconscious man from the fire-engulfed house, filled with smoke, at 23 Family Lane early yesterday morning.
Police Captain Michael McCabe identified the victim as Frederick A. Kupec, the lone resident at that address.
Deputy Fire Chief Pat Kane said this morning that investigators have determined that the fire was ignited in a sofa by a cigarette when Kupec apparently fell asleep, then was awoken by the fire. Kupec was located on the floor in the kitchen at the rear of the house.
“The house was full of smoke,” Kane said.
Kane said he did not hear smoke detectors sounding an alarm when he was at the fire scene. Investigators found the damaged remnants of smoke alarms in the house, but could not determine if they were working when the fire broke out.
Kane also requested the Westfield Gas & Electric Department dispatch emergency personnel to assist firefighters at the scene to mitigate hazardous conditions.
“The electricity was cut and one of the gas guys disconnected propane tanks at the back of the house so firefighters could move them away from the fire as a precaution,” Kane said. “We also moved some acetylene tanks that were in the garage.”
Kane said the entire shift of 14 firefighters were present, manning four engines, the department’s tower truck and ambulances. Other communities were requested to provide coverage for the city while the Family Lane fire was extinguished.
“It took about 45 minutes to get it knocked down and under control,” Kane said, adding that the fire weakened the support structure and sections of the roof sagged in toward the building interior
The cause of the blaze was determined by Westfield Fire and Westfield Police officials and by State Trooper Michael Mazza, who is assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office.
“There were no other family members present, he was living by himself,” McCabe said. “The medical examiner has taken jurisdiction and will conduct an autopsy to confirm the victim’s identity and to determine if it was an accidental death.”
“Fires are always a terrible experience, but they are even worse when someone dies,” Westfield Fire Chief Mary Regan said. “Westfield has not experienced a fatal fire since February 2013, where an elderly man died after starting a fire smoking while using medical oxygen.”
“As one of the leaders of the Massachusetts Fire Sprinkler Coalition,” she said. “I have been a strong advocate to require all new homes be built with fire sprinklers so we can build a future where these tragedies are less likely to happen.”
Sprinklers are like having a firefighter in every room of your house,” she said.
State officials said Kupec is the 27th person to die in a fire in the state this year.
