Four people have died in a blaze that ripped through a multifamily home in Worcester, Massachusetts, over the weekend that caused the roof to fall in and left the structure unstable.
The four-alarm blaze was reported at 3:31 a.m. Saturday in the Bingham Square Apartments at 2 Gage Street, a six-family, three-decker home, city officials said in a news release.
Upon arriving at the scene, Worcester firefighters found "heavy fire" and a person was seen either falling or jumping from a third-floor window and was hospitalized with serious injuries, acting Worcester Fire Chief Martin Dyer said. Three others were transported by UMass Memorial Medical Center EMS to the hospital, he said.
Two people were declared dead and three others injured, the city said Saturday. The death toll rose to four on Monday after fire officials gained access to more of the building and discovered the bodies, Dyer said in a video news conference Monday.
The victims' identities have not been released yet pending next of kin notification, Dyer said. The Red Cross is assisting families displaced by the blaze.
The Worcester Fire Department couldn't conduct a full search of the three floors of the residence on Saturday due to the intense flames and because the home's integrity was called into question.
The search and investigation carried into the weekend and stalled when officials learned of snakes in the home that resulted in several removed alive by animal control.
"With the structural integrity of the building in question, investigators moved deliberately and cautiously to work the scene," Dyer said, noting canine officers were brought in from local agencies.
Dyer said Monday the home is considered "not stable" and there were an upward of 20 residents in the home.
The investigation is continuing with debris being removed by hand, Dyer said. More victims could potentially be found, the fire chief stated.
The cause of the inferno remains under investigation.
Worcester City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. praised first responders and firefighters for their work in containing the blaze.
"Cause and origin we don't have yet," he said. "There were snakes in the building, they couldn't get in right away. The fact that there was water, the structure, the roof collapse — these guys did an unbelievable job in just putting the fire out and doing what they could to avoid loss of life."
Mayor Joseph M. Petty assured the community will work together to aid the victims of the fire.
"I send my deepest sympathies to the families of the victims," he said. "Tragedies such as this affect so many lives and our city will no doubt come together to support those who are suffering from such an unimaginable loss."
