‘Overwhelming’: Neighbors tried to rescue man killed in Webster fire

WEBSTER, Mass. — A man is dead after a fire engulfed a multi-family home in Webster on Saturday night.

Around 10 p.m. Webster Fire was called to a structure fire at 1 South Point Rd, with reports of at least one resident trapped inside.

Upon arrival, fire crews were able to locate the resident and extricate him from the home, Deputy Fire Chief Jeffrey Saad.

A resident, Nancy, and her partner Fran Knapik told Boston 25 News they were watching TV when they heard a loud thud in the unit above them Saturday night and then the smoke detectors sounding.

“It was black, black, black smoke. And it was awful. It was just overwhelming,” Nancy said. “I felt like I had no feelings. I just reacted. ‘What do I need? Let’s just get out.’”

As Nancy called 911, Fran rushed upstairs to try to help his ill, bedridden neighbor get out of his apartment. But when Fran approached his door, he realized his longtime friend’s unit was engulfed in flames.

“I opened [the door] up about an inch, and the billows of smoke came out and kind of overtook me,” Knapik said. “I came outside, composed myself. That’s when I went back in, got down on a knee, got down lower, figuring I would be under the smoke, and tried to holler to the gentleman. He didn’t respond.”

The man was transported to a local hospital succumbed to their injuries and was pronounced deceased. Officials are not yet releasing his name.

Six people lived in the home, and five were home at the time of the fire. No other injuries or fatalities were reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Webster Fire Department, Webster Police Department, and the State Fire Marshal’s office.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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