Two residents die, seven become homeless in rapidly spreading fire

A fast-spreading second-alarm fire damaged a Worcester home late Tuesday night, claiming the lives of two residents and leaving seven others homeless, authorities said.

Two adults who lived on the ground floor of the three-story building at 3 Hancock Street became trapped in the apartment when the fire began to spread from the living room area and died in the flames, Worcester Deputy Fire Chief Adam Roche told reporters outside the home on Wednesday.

Roche did not name the victims but said both were adults. He called the incident “tragic for the city of Worcester,” adding that the department is keeping the victims’ families in its thoughts and prayers.

“This is a difficult fire for the Worcester Fire Department,” Roche said, “but we are a resilient group and our firefighters did a valiant job. They really relied on their strategies and tactics to get a better outcome here. The fire conditions were just so advanced upon arrival.”

Firefighters arrived on the scene at the home on Hancock Street, off Main Street and near Clark University, after receiving a 911 call about a structure fire that trapped people inside the home around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Roche said.

Four adults and three children from the second and third floors were safely evacuated when firefighters encountered a heavy fire on the ground floor. The blaze triggered two alarms before it was brought under control within 15 minutes, Roche said.

The house appeared to have been “adequately maintained,” Roche said. He stressed that the city has many three-story homes that often have balloon-frame construction, making extinguishing fires in such buildings a challenge, he said.

“This allows the fire to enter voids and spread very quickly throughout the house. To put out these fires, we need to get into these voids,” Roche said. “This particular fire was so advanced when we arrived that it was very difficult for the residents on the first floor to escape.”

The fire remains under investigation.