Sunday, April 28, 2024

Cause of New Bedford rooming house fire believe started by microwave

rooming house fire new bedford ma

The Red Cross and Salvation Army Disaster Team were seen Tuesday night helping out residents, the station reported. The building was a 31-unit rooming house, with each unit locking individually and each floor sharing a common bathroom, according to residents. One of the victims was identified as 59-year-old Manual Moreira, who lived on the fourth floor. New Bedford fire Chief Scott Kruger said Tuesday afternoon that the first firefighters to arrive rescued several people from the windows of the building. “It’s hard because you have to try and account for all the people — the residents that are supposed to live there, people that had been in that building during the day visiting or just there and they’re not on paper.

New Bedford: Acushnet Ave. rooming house fire kills one, one missing - SouthCoastToday.com

New Bedford: Acushnet Ave. rooming house fire kills one, one missing.

Posted: Wed, 29 Mar 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

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"The Fire Prevention Bureau is continuing its close scrutiny of rooming houses in New Bedford, with rooming houses periodically checked for compliance with all life safety code requirements," the release reads. NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) — The investigation continues into a deadly fire that gutted a New Bedford rooming house Tuesday afternoon. ” said Phillip MacDonald, who described one of the men who died in the fire as a “good friend.” His brother also lived in the rooming house but was not home at the time of the fire. But at the time of the fire, a “board or plank” was blocking the hatch to the fire escape, Chief Kruger confirmed. The fire department discovered the structure blocking the fire escape, which he described as a fire code violation, after the fire. The mayor’s chief of staff clarified that it’s possible the property manager or a tenant had blocked the fire escape after the fire department’s most recent inspection.

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The second victim, who has not been identified, was found Wednesday afternoon as firefighters demolished the building piece by piece, according to Kruger. Residents were seen jumping out of second-story windows to escape the blaze last week as firefighters arrived on scene. Some who lost loved ones said they felt like the deaths could have been avoided. A general alarm was declared, bringing all New Bedford apparatus and off-duty personnel to the scene along with dozens of firefighters from surrounding communities.

Massive rooming house fire that killed 2 in New Bedford started accidentally, State Fire Marshal says

rooming house fire new bedford ma

The investigation into the cause of the fire continued Wednesday, as community members step in to help the residents displaced. A second body was found by firefighters combing through the rooming house partially destroyed in a massive fire in New Bedford, Massachusetts, fire officials said Wednesday. The size of the building and fire conditions made it difficult for first responders to determine who needed to be rescued first.

rooming house fire new bedford ma

Jason Gilmore leapt to safety from a second-floor fire escape with several other tenants. The fire chief said at least five tenants were injured in the fire, which quickly engulfed the building and shrouded the neighborhood in thick, black smoke. But despite the violation, the city licensing board granted the rotating cast listed as owners of the now-demolished building a “license to keep a lodging house” each year records were made available — most recently in May of 2022, according to city records.

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Residents said that the building was under “mostly cosmetic” renovation, but that no work was being done on the property Tuesday. On Tuesday, New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger said that five people were transported to local hospitals, with three in serious condition. No updates were provided on the condition of the hospitalized residents. After that, keeping them sheltered has been made possible by what Lima calls a "piecemeal" system dependent on day-today donations, and now an undisclosed amount of emergency funds from the city, originally given to New Bedford as federal pandemic assistance. In an April interview with The Standard-Times, Kruger shared the fire department's and city's plans to do a sweep of the city's rooming houses to check up on compliance statuses.

When Sky5 flew over the four-story building Tuesday afternoon, firefighters were dousing the building with water from all sides. The water was pouring out from doors on the ground floor, but flames and heavy smoke continued. On Tuesday afternoon, he said at least five people were transported to the hospital, some with serious conditions.

Assistance to New Bedford fire-displaced residents

Amaral said the city has connected those impacted with local agencies to assist them in their search for a new place to live. Josh Amaral, New Bedford’s director of housing and community development, told 12 News the city is doing everything in its power to help those impacted by the fire. Matos said her fiancé has been having recurring nightmares of escaping the flames, adding that he did everything in his power to get as many tenants to safety as he could.

New Bedford fire chief offers lifesaving fire safety tips - SouthCoastToday.com

New Bedford fire chief offers lifesaving fire safety tips.

Posted: Wed, 05 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

The fire conditions in that building rapidly deteriorated, said Kruger. "That type of construction lends to that — lots of void spaces, lots of places for heat and smoke to build up,” according to a WCVB report. "The fire had control of that building when we arrived. There's no question about that, it was on all four floors. In the hallways. It actually burned through a stairwell when they were in there," said Kruger. The recovery came as investigators are using heavy equipment throughout the day to delayer and examine the badly damaged structure. Phillip MacDonald said that his brother and his brother's girlfriend lived in one of the building's units, right next to where the fire started.

An engine company remained on scene to standby while a demolition contractor removed the remaining collapsed portions of the building and secured the area. One firefighter was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital for evaluation but is expected to be released Saturday, the fire department said. NBC affiliate WJAR reports he was suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion. Shortly after a collapse zone was set up, the main building suffered a complete collapse, fire officials said.

Their body was found after investigators used heavy equipment to sort through debris and remove parts of the building, which partially collapsed. Authorities identified the man who died as Manuel Moreira, 59, who lived on the top floor of the four-story building, according to Bristol District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III’s office. A second victim was recovered Wednesday from the rubble of a rooming house in New Bedford, where a massive fire the day before caused “catastrophic damage,” according to the state fire marshal’s office. Kruger said firefighters rescued at least three residents before they were forced to retreat as conditions worsened. More than two dozen tenants lived in the rooming house, according to Kruger.

The Red Cross, Salvation Army and Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency are among the group supporting local efforts. The Fire Department was focused Wednesday on recovering any fatalities and quickly demolishing the unstable building. State police dogs worked the ground while drones hovered overhead to assist the demolition. "Anytime you can have a sprinkler system in the building, it's always better than having a building with no sprinkler system in it obviously," said New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger. This breaking news story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Of the two victims, one has been identified by the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office as 59-year-old Manuel Moreira, who lived on the fourth floor of the building. The other victim, who was found during excavation efforts on Wednesday, remains unidentified, the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services said in a press release. A deadly fire at a New Bedford rooming house Tuesday started accidentally, likely caused by a microwave or wall outlet, fire officials said Friday. The mayor and the fire chief stressed that, despite the barriers, the city would continue efforts to enforce fire code regulations in New Bedford’s rooming houses. The fire department closed its investigation last week after determining the fire likely started with a microwave, or the microwave’s wall outlet, on the building’s second floor. The lack of compliance with “sprinkler law” is a widespread issue in New Bedford’s rooming houses.

Kruger said firefighters rescued at least three residents, while several others leapt from their windows. An automatic sprinkler system, which is required under the city’s fire code, was not installed despite repeated warnings from the fire department ordering the property owners to install one. The city last year even threatened to revoke the license to operate as a rooming house for failing to comply with fire code. One person who lived on the third floor said that there were no sprinklers in the building at the time of the fire. A family member of one resident said that the hatch to the fire escape ladder was locked, forcing some to jump from the second-story wooden balcony. Fire investigators said the fire started in Room 205, located at the left rear of the second floor.

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