ORANGE — An elderly woman who was seriously injured in a three-alarm fire at a dog breeder’s home in Orange died from her injuries Thursday.
Two residents escaped the fire, which took place at 99 West River Street just before midnight on Wednesday. The woman who passed away Thursday was found unresponsive in the enflamed residence when fire fighters arrived on scene, the State Fire Marshal’s office said. A fourth person was found outside the residence with serious injuries. Both injured parties were transported to Athol Memorial Hospital and later transferred to hospitals in Boston.
Neighbors told WCVB that the family bred dogs and there were about 20 dogs in the residence at the time of the fire, including a litter of puppies. First responders rescued the dogs, carrying them out of the residence by the scruff of their necks.
(Courtesy Photo/WCVB)
“There were several dogs that were rescued by first arriving Orange police officers and by firefighters later on in the fire. There were also multiple dogs that perished in the fire as well,” Orange Fire Chief James Young said.
During the fire, National Grid shut power to 2,300 customers at the request of the fire chief. Most of those who lost power had it restored within an hour, and the remaining customers had theirs restored by about 6:30 a.m.
Officials informed residents that so much water from the hydrant system was used to put out the fire that water in the area could be brown or rust colored for several hours.
Officials say the fire does not appear to be suspicious in nature, adding that wood stoves – which were destroyed in the fire – were used to heat the home.
“Home heating equipment is the second-leading cause of residential fires in Massachusetts,” State Fire Marshal Davine said. “If you use a fireplace or wood stove to heat your home, please use it safely. Use a fireplace screen or keep the door to the wood stove closed to prevent embers from escaping. Keep curtains, bedding, and anything else that can burn at least three feet away on all sides. And be sure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on every level of your home.”
The home is a total loss and all four residents have been displaced. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Orange Fire Department and State Police Fire Investigators assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
