EAST BROOKFIELD, Mass. — A man who used a wheelchair to get around was killed in a raging blaze that engulfed a home in East Brookfield early Thursday morning, authorities said.
Emergency crews responding to 011 calls for a fire at 234 West Main Street just after 3:30 a.m. found heavy smoke and flames shooting from the roof of a single-family home, East Brookfield Fire Chief David Messier, East Brookfield Police Chief Joseph Lazarick, State Fire Marshal Jon Davine, and Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early said in a joint news release.
When firefighters made entry into the home to attack the flames, they located the man and rushed him outside, where he was pronounced dead. His name hasn’t been released.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will work to determine an official cause and manner of his death.
“On behalf of the East Brookfield Fire Department, I want to offer our condolences to the man’s family,” Chief Messier said in a statement. “This is a very sad day for them and the community.”
Officials said the fire grew quickly, consuming the home in minutes. The structure has been deemed a total loss.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, although Davine noted that crews didn’t find any working smoke alarms at the scene.
State police investigators assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s Office and Worcester District Attorney’s Office assisted local authorities with the investigation.
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