One dead, five homeless after apartment building fire in Webster

WEBSTER, Massachusetts (WWLP) – One man is dead and five are homeless after a fire in Webster over the weekend.

According to the Massachusetts Fire Department, emergency crews were dispatched to an apartment building at 3 South Point Road around 10 p.m. Saturday following several emergency calls. When crews arrived, they found one person still inside the home, amid smoke and flames.

Firefighters were able to rescue the 57-year-old man inside Peter Marglia of Webster and was immediately transported to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries. Five other residents were left homeless after the fire, but no injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it has been determined that the fire started in the back right bedroom where Marglia was located. Investigators have also identified smoking paraphernalia and oxygen in the home as possible factors.

The Webster Fire Department, Webster Police Department, State Police assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, State Police assigned to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office and the Fire Department’s Code Compliance & Enforcement Unit are investigating the cause of the fire.

There is no truly safe way to smoke, but smoking near places where oxygen is used is even more dangerous. Smoking and household oxygen were likely factors in a fatal fire in Chicopee in March and in a fire in Ludlow that injured two people in February.