Two more bodies recovered from Worcester fire

WORCESTER, Mass. — Tom Natoli came to his former home on Gage Street, hoping to recover some old family pictures. It would be a miracle if those photos survived. Early Saturday morning, a fierce fire tore through the multi-family dwelling – displacing at least 20 residents and killing at least four.

Natoli, who lived in Apartment 2L, wasn’t home when the fire broke out. But his roommates were.

“They had to get out quickly,” he said. “Within 10 minutes, they would have been gone if they didn’t get out.”

It’s unclear why the house went up so fast, but at a City Hall press conference, authorities explained why the recovery efforts have been slow. For one thing, the building was and is unstable – with the roof in collapse.

For another, there were snakes. On Sunday, Worcester Animal Control officers removed numerous plastic boxes containing the reptiles – believed to be non-venomous collector’s items, such as boas and pythons.

“We had the experts there, and they pulled them out,” said Worcester’s Acting Fire Chief Martin Dyer said. “I can’t speak to how dangerous these snakes were.”

With a permit, Massachusetts allows residents to keep non-venomous exotic snakes as pets. It’s unclear whether the law places limits on the number of snakes per permit.

Dyer described a chaotic scene when firefighters pulled up to the house.

“As the first lines were being put into operation, a resident jumped or fell from a third floor window.,” he said. “This resident was treated by Worcester firefighters and UMass paramedics and was transported with serious injuries.”

A source on the scene Monday morning told Boston 25 News off-camera that a co-worker had jumped from the third floor – and wound up breaking her hip. He also said she was intubated for a time, perhaps indicating smoke injury.

Other residents also described harrowing escapes from flames that seemed to explode in a matter of minutes.

Dyer said the investigation into the fire – which the city manager called “complex” – is not over.

“We do have investigators working there now,” said Dyer. “They are removing debris by hand, so it’s a very slow process. The potential does exist for more victims.”

The names of the victims have not been released.

Worcester 4-alarm fire

The building is considered a total loss. The Red Cross is working with residents who have been displaced.

Two other nearby buildings were also damaged, and residents inside those buildings had to evacuate.

No firefighters were injured battling the blaze.

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