Officials: One dead, one injured, two rescued after home destroyed in overnight fire in Norfolk County

An overnight fire on Belcher Street claimed one person’s life and injured another, Holbrook Fire Chief Luke McFadden, Holbrook Police Chief William J. Smith, State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey, and Norfolk County District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey announced.

“On behalf of the Holbrook Fire Department, I want to offer our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and loved ones,” said Chief McFadden. “This is a tragedy for them and the community, and our hearts are with them right now.”

The origin and cause of the fire remain under investigation by the Holbrook Fire Department, Holbrook Police Department, and State Police assigned to the offices of the State Fire Marshal and Norfolk DA’s office. Preliminary evidence suggests that the fire began in the basement or on the first floor of the three-story, multi-family home.

“While the exact cause of the fire hasn’t been determined yet, we know that working smoke alarms alerted residents on the upper floors,” said State Fire Marshal Ostroskey. “They were able to escape safely and call 9-1-1. Please take a moment to be sure you have working smoke alarms on every level of your home and an escape plan that includes two ways out.”

The Holbrook Fire Department responded to a 9-1-1 call at about 1:10 am and observed smoke and flames showing on arrival. A second alarm was struck but the full response was equivalent to four alarms, bringing additional firefighters and apparatus to the scene. Firefighters rescued a man and a woman, both older adults, from the building. The victims were transported to an area hospital, where the male victim succumbed to his injuries.

Fire departments from Abington, Avon, Braintree, Brockton, Randolph, Rockland, Stoughton, Weymouth, and Whitman provided mutual aid at the scene and station coverage. The Department of Fire Services deployed a Rehab unit to support personnel on the fireground.