Apartment fire leaves two children dead, man injured
A boy, 1, and a girl, 3, died, the
Authorities withheld the victims' names Friday and said the cause of the blaze at the four-unit apartment building is under investigation.
State police at
Fifty to 60 firefighters from multiple fire departments responded to the call for the blaze in the
"When you left
Briggs said upon arrival at the scene he saw a second-floor apartment fully involved, with flames coming out of windows, with the fire progressing through the ceiling and the roof.
Crews went up the outside staircase to that apartment to check for the children reported trapped, Briggs said, but firefighters couldn't proceed because the flames were too hot.
The two-story apartment building had two apartments on each floor, Briggs said, and other firefighters checked apartments in the building. All other occupants got out, including an older man whose whereabouts were unknown for a time, the chief said. Briggs estimated the apartment building had eight to 10 occupants.
"The whole building is a total loss," Briggs said. The apartment building owner,
Crews worked overnight in freezing conditions; Briggs said no firefighters were hurt. Temperatures dropped to minus-4 degrees, with the bitter cold freezing up equipment and hoses, according to
"It was a tough fire to put out," MacClintock said. He said the structure, an old wooden building, was a "total loss."
Briggs said crews had tried an aggressive interior attack but flames and heavy smoke were too much and the firefighters began an hours-long, labor-intensive exterior attack.
The roof collapsed at about
"The guys did a tremendous job," Briggs said. "They dug in hard and did what they had to do."
Fire and law enforcement vehicles lined
According to the
Fire and emergency medical services units that responded to the fire were from
The investigation continues with multiple agencies, including local fire service officials, state police,
Volunteers from the
State fire investigators finished at the scene at about
Others in the community and area assisted with the response and cleanup, Briggs said.
Briggs said the department will have a debriefing and he will check with crews about reactions to the fatalities or other stress.
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