Second victim found in New Bedford rooming house fire; 24 residents displaced

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• Massive rooming house fire that killed 2 in New Bedford started accidentally, State Fire Marshal says
• Firefighters battling large blaze at Randolph apartment complex
• Are New Bedford rooming house fire victims on a countdown to homelessness?
• Lincoln, NH, Firefighters Battled Building Fire
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• NFL WR injured in Florida shooting, team says
• Who lives in the Royal Crown Lodging House
• Latest news

Investigators were able to rule out all potential causes except an event involving a microwave in that location or the wall outlet it was plugged into. The microwave had been in use a short time before the fire broke out, investigators said. Hoffman, who residents said owns multiple rooming houses in New Bedford, could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Massive rooming house fire that killed 2 in New Bedford started accidentally, State Fire Marshal says

“New Bedford firefighters worked extremely hard to protect surrounding buildings from this very large fire,” Wark said. The victim’s identity has not been released pending family notification, Wark said. The remains of resident Wayne Bourdon, 63, were recovered Wednesday afternoon. Kruger said no firefighters were injured, and commended the department for their brave response.

Firefighters battling large blaze at Randolph apartment complex

Crews responded from New Bedford and surrounding towns, including firefighters from Acushnet, Dartmouth, and Fairhaven at the scene and ambulances from Freetown, Lakeville, Marion, Wareham, and Westport. Responding crews found heavy fire in the main wood frame structure that threatened to spread to several nearby buildings. Fire officials said a one-story commercial building just a few feet away and an unoccupied three-story wood frame building on another side both suffered minimal exposure damage. For the victims, not only is there the primary concern of finding a place to live, but there's also the myriad of other necessities often taken for granted. At a one-day resource recovery center, or RRC, organized by the city of New Bedford and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, the residents received help with things such as obtaining new copies of driver's licenses and more. The RRC was held Tuesday, April 4, at the McCoy Rec Center on Hillman Street.

Are New Bedford rooming house fire victims on a countdown to homelessness?

The building was well involved before firefighters arrived, and it sustained catastrophic damage, but firefighters were successful in keeping the blaze from extending to several nearby homes and businesses. But firefighters continued to extinguish hot spots for hours afterward and crews remained on scene overnight. One person was killed and five people were taken to the hospital in a massive fire at a rooming house in New Bedford Tuesday afternoon that drew scores of firefighters to the scene, officials said. "Our thoughts are still with the families who lost loved ones, the residents who were injured, and those who lost all their belongings," said New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger. Residents were seen jumping out of windows to escape the blaze as firefighters arrived on scene. Heavy, dark smoke poured from the top three stories of the building, enveloping a full city block between Tallman and Holly Streets as the smoke drifted south.

Lincoln, NH, Firefighters Battled Building Fire

Fire Inspectors verified that these existing systems were in good working order, according to the mayor's office. Kruger said the displaced tenants are being assisted by the American Red Cross and Seven Hills Behavioral Health. The roof of the building collapsed, making it more difficult to stop the flames. To support The Salvation Army’s ongoing New Bedford fire response efforts, 100% of donations made at /eds with a note in comment section saying “New Bedford Fire” will go toward helping survivors. An official fund has been created to help the residents who lost so much. The owners of the property had filed to evict at least five tenants between February and March, according to court records.

“Firefighters immediately began conducting rescues over ground ladders and five people were transported from the scene for medical care,” the statement said. Around 80 firefighters responded to the fire, with other local agencies coming to assist. “Our thoughts are still with the families who lost loved ones, the residents who were injured, and those who lost all their belongings,” said Chief Kruger in a statement. The cause of the fire is being investigated and remains under investigation at this time.

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“Their collective efforts kept the fire from spreading to several nearby buildings and the community,” Wark said. Some 80 firefighters from local communities rushed to assist, officials said. One man was pronounced dead Tuesday, and five others were taken to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries suffered in the fire at the 31-unit house located at 1305 Acushnet Ave., officials said.

Who lives in the Royal Crown Lodging House

The second victim, who has not been identified, was found Wednesday afternoon as firefighters demolished the building piece by piece, according to Kruger. Residents were seen jumping out of second-story windows to escape the blaze last week as firefighters arrived on scene. Some who lost loved ones said they felt like the deaths could have been avoided. A general alarm was declared, bringing all New Bedford apparatus and off-duty personnel to the scene along with dozens of firefighters from surrounding communities.

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It takes a lot of people to try to account for everyone," said Kruger early Wednesday morning of the challenges related to the building being a rooming house. Earlier, officials had said that a man was dead, another person was unaccounted for and several other people hurt in the massive blaze on Tuesday. But as workers dug through the wreckage with heavy equipment, they found the body of a person, the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Crews started their search with drones Wednesday morning and began the process of demolishing the building. “The alarm kept going off, and I tried to make it out of my room but all I saw was smoke. I tried to make it down those stairs, but I couldn’t,” said Jason Gilmore, who lived in the building. MacFarlane said they work with families all the time that have been displaced whether they need clothing, food or other assistance or even just somebody to listen for emotional spiritual care. Due to their familiarity with the facility and the team in New Bedford, and knowing some of the people there, they were also able to offer emotional and spiritual care.

The city adopted the law requiring sprinkler systems in the high-occupancy buildings in 2013 and began enforcing the law after a five-year grace period in 2018. But as of this year, about two-thirds of the 33 buildings licensed by the city to operate as rooming houses currently fail to comply with that law, according to the fire department. NEW BEDFORD — This week's deadly rooming house fire was apparently started by a microwave or the wall outlet it was plugged into. It marks at least the fourth major fire in the last two years to devastate the tightly packed three-decker neighborhood. In April of 2021, two people died and more than 40 were displaced when a late night fire sparked in an alley between two buildings and set both on fire. The charred remains of that fire are less than one block away from the scene of Tuesday’s rooming house fire.

Investigators were able to rule out all potential causes except an accidental event involving a microwave in a second-floor apartment or the wall outlet it was plugged into, according to a press release. Five people were transported to the hospital Tuesday for injuries and smoke inhalation. Kruger also told the station that over two dozen people are now displaced and were put into motels for the night.

Firefighters established a “collapse zone” around the building with the possibility of the structure deteriorating further. A family member of one resident said that the hatch to the fire escape ladder was locked, causing some to jump from the second-story wooden balcony. He’s currently working with community organizations to help get everyone impacted back on their feet. Philip MacDonald’s brother is one of the roughly two dozen people displaced from the fire. There might be a few hot spots in the collapsed areas which is common,” Kruger said. New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger said of the five people taken to the hospital, one was moved to Rhode Island Hospital.

The fire in a rooming house on Acushnet Avenue was reported just after 3 p.m. NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WJAR) — Firefighters began the process of demolishing a rooming house in New Bedford on Wednesday after a massive fire ripped through the building. The Salvation Army’s emergency disaster services team will be meeting with several fire survivors today, according to Heather MacFarlane, spokesperson for the Salvation Army in Massachusetts. NEW BEDFORD — A massive fire at a rooming house on Acushnet Avenue on Tuesday has claimed the life of two residents. In an update late Tuesday, New Bedford officials said that a man died in the fire and that at least five were taken to a hospital, two of whom were in very serious condition.

“When I got here, there was flames coming out of the second floor going up to the third and the balcony, facing west, the second floor was totally engulfed," MacDonald said. Receive the latest news and breaking updates, straight from our newsroom to your inbox. Witnesses described a horrific scene, including seeing someone who was severely burned jump out of a second-story window.

"The Fire Prevention Bureau is continuing its close scrutiny of rooming houses in New Bedford, with rooming houses periodically checked for compliance with all life safety code requirements," the release reads. NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) — The investigation continues into a deadly fire that gutted a New Bedford rooming house Tuesday afternoon. ” said Phillip MacDonald, who described one of the men who died in the fire as a “good friend.” His brother also lived in the rooming house but was not home at the time of the fire. But at the time of the fire, a “board or plank” was blocking the hatch to the fire escape, Chief Kruger confirmed. The fire department discovered the structure blocking the fire escape, which he described as a fire code violation, after the fire. The mayor’s chief of staff clarified that it’s possible the property manager or a tenant had blocked the fire escape after the fire department’s most recent inspection.