A woman in her 80s died, and her adult daughter was injured early Friday in a house explosion in Berlin, Massachusetts, a town outside of Boston.The two victims were inside the two-story home at 3:30 a.m. when it exploded and sparked a fire that grew to activate two alarms.Neighbors were able to rescue one woman who was trapped under a section of the roof. However, the other woman was pronounced dead at the scene.”Very heroic for them to be able to get in, lift that up and get her out from underneath that. It was a changing scene. The fire was advancing very quickly at that point, and the seconds matter at that point. It definitely was a factor in saving her life,” Berlin Fire Department Chief Michael McQuillen said.The woman, who is in her 50s, was taken to UMass Medical Center to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. McQuillen said crews from 10 towns responded to the explosion and assisted in the response. The victims’ names have not been released; however, neighbors said they are well-known in the community.”They’re very active in town. Everybody knows them. Just top quality people,” neighbor Mark Smith said.“A lot of the first responders know the occupants that live here, and that’s something that pulls at them,” McQuillen said. “Unfortunately, after this incident, those are the memories they’ll take with them, which is part of the PTSD that we talk about in emergency services.”The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. Video below: Fire erupts after house explosion
A woman in her 80s died, and her adult daughter was injured early Friday in a house explosion in Berlin, Massachusetts, a town outside of Boston.
The two victims were inside the two-story home at 3:30 a.m. when it exploded and sparked a fire that grew to activate two alarms.
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Neighbors were able to rescue one woman who was trapped under a section of the roof. However, the other woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Very heroic for them to be able to get in, lift that up and get her out from underneath that. It was a changing scene. The fire was advancing very quickly at that point, and the seconds matter at that point. It definitely was a factor in saving her life,” Berlin Fire Department Chief Michael McQuillen said.
The woman, who is in her 50s, was taken to UMass Medical Center to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
McQuillen said crews from 10 towns responded to the explosion and assisted in the response.
The victims’ names have not been released; however, neighbors said they are well-known in the community.
“They’re very active in town. Everybody knows them. Just top quality people,” neighbor Mark Smith said.
“A lot of the first responders know the occupants that live here, and that’s something that pulls at them,” McQuillen said. “Unfortunately, after this incident, those are the memories they’ll take with them, which is part of the PTSD that we talk about in emergency services.”
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation.
Video below: Fire erupts after house explosion
