WORCESTER — A two-alarm fire at the Washington Heights apartment complex early Thursday morning left one person hospitalized and displaced 28 residents, according to authorities
The fire, reported at approximately 1 a.m., started on the second floor of the building at 78 Outlook Drive, Assistant Fire Chief Adam Roche told the Telegram & Gazette.
Chief Roche said the fire was caused by improperly discarded smoking materials. Although the fire was extinguished within 20 minutes, one person had to be rescued from the third floor of the building and was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
No firefighters were injured during the incident, Chief Roche said.
The fire rendered the building uninhabitable, leaving 28 residents displaced. While Chief Roche was unsure of the residents’ immediate shelter arrangements, he stated that building management was assisting those affected.
This is the second fire in the same block of the Washington Heights complex in recent months. In June, a fire at 52 Outlook Drive caused extensive damage, displacing 35 residents and damaging 36 units across three buildings. At least 24 units were considered a total loss.
