A tragic late-night blaze in Pittsfield has claimed the life of a Virginia Avenue resident, fire officials reported. According to a statement from Pittsfield Fire Chief Thomas Sammons, Acting Pittsfield Police Chief Captain Mark Strout, State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine, and Berkshire County District Attorney Timothy J. Shugrue, firefighters responded to an emergency call just after 11:20 p.m. on Saturday. Upon their arrival, they encountered flames at the front of the building and discovered the sole occupant, a woman in her 70s.
The Pittsfield Fire Department, braving subzero temperatures and a significant accumulation of snow, managed to control the blaze within approximately 30 minutes. The woman, whose identity has not been disclosed, was rescued but sadly succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital, said Chief Sammons in a statement obtained by the Massachusetts government's official website. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is assigned to determine the cause and manner of her death.
Providing support and reiterating the importance of fire safety, the statement mentioned Hinsdale Fire Department's role in rehab services that aided the health and safety of firefighters at the scene. In the ongoing investigation to unearth the fire's origin and cause, the local police, State Police fire investigators with the State Fire Marshal’s office, and State Police assigned to the Berkshire DA’s office were involved, they were supported by the Department of Fire Services’ Code Compliance & Enforcement Unit as disclosed on the Mass.gov website.
The initial findings suggested the fire started in the living room and there were no working smoke alarms in the home, "This is the fourth fatal fire this year where our investigators found no working smoke alarms," State Fire Marshal Davine commented on mass.gov. He further emphasized the crucial need for functioning smoke alarms on every level of a home and routine checks, especially for the elderly and those unable to maintain them on their own. For those needing assistance, Davine advised contacting local fire departments for help with the installation, maintenance, or replacement of their alarms.
