BRIGHTON, Mass. — One person is dead after an overnight fire in Brighton. Nine people are now without homes, according to the Boston Fire Department. Boston firefighters were called to 32 Perthshire Road at 12:30 a.m. Monday. When they arrived, officials said there was “heavy fire” on the second floor, extending to the third floor of the two-family home.
One witness on scene said that she learned the man who was killed may have tried to help his girlfriend get out. One woman had to be rescued off a roof by Boston firefighters.
The Suffolk County District Attorney confirmed to the Boston 25 News the man killed in the fire was Zack Thompson, 23, of Oxford, Connecticut.
“The rescue was the first thing that needed to be done,” said Boston Fire Department Commissioner John “Jack” Dempsey.
The flames were raging early Labor Day morning. Neighbors woke up to loud screams. Fatim Kramer lives next door.
“I’m opening the window more and I hear a young woman saying, ‘fire, fire, please help.’ And I turned my head and see on the corner, I see huge, huge flames,” Kramer said.
Donna McIssac is a neighbor and said the boyfriend who was killed in the fire helped his girlfriend get onto the roof.
“He pushed her out the window onto the roof to safety, and I don’t know if he went to warn others, but he did not make it out,” McIssac said.
That female resident could be heard on a cell phone video captured by a witness and shared with Boston 25 News urging firefighters to get her boyfriend, who was on the third floor, but they did not make it in time. A medical examiner vehicle could be seen leaving early Monday morning.
Tyler Biscoff lives across the street and saw some of the rescue.
“She was perched out there,” he said of the woman. “The firemen set up a ladder right away, and I think they [were] just trying to calm her down, get her composed.”
Boston Fire officials said the fire seemed to start in the rear deck area and just took off into the building. They are investigating to figure out what may have sparked the fire.
“Third floor was ready to flash over when they got up there, so extremely difficult conditions,” Commissioner Dempsey said, adding that the smoke alarms were working in the home.
The owner was helping tenants on the first floor retrieve some of their belongings. The owner said both units moved in at the beginning of the month and none of them were college students. One neighbor placed flowers on the front steps for the victim who was killed.
“What can you do? Can’t do anything but you can at least do something like that. A little gesture, have a heart. It’s terrible,” Bischoff said.
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