Man who died from injuries in fire remembered as Middleborough legend, for Williams Trading Post

MIDDLEBOROUGH — Middleborough Fire Chief Owen Thompson, State Fire Marshal Jon Davine, and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz report that the man pulled from a burning house by firefighters on Monday night has died as a result of injuries he sustained in the fire.

The victim has been identified as 67-year-old Nathaniel (Nat) Williams of Middleborough.

At approximately 9:15 p.m., Middleborough Fire responded to 6 Locust St., a two-story home in South Middleborough, for a report of a house fire. Firefighters arrived approximately 6 minutes later to find a house with the first floor fully ablaze.

Neighbors soon reported to firefighters that they believed the occupant was still in the home. Firefighters conducted an aggressive search and located the home’s sole occupant, Williams, near a side entrance.

Firefighters rescued him, and he was then transported by a Coastal Medical Transportation ambulance to Rhode Island Hospital, where he later died.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of death.

Those who knew Williams described him as a Middleborough legend who touched the lives of many people with his kindness. Many will remember him from Williams Trading Post on Wareham Street.

The origin and cause of the fire remain under investigation by Middleborough Fire, the Massachusetts State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit attached to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, and Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office.

“On behalf of the entire Middleborough Fire Department, I want to express my heartfelt condolences to the victim’s family and loved ones,” Chief Thompson said.