SALEM, MASS. (WHDH) - A 62-year-old man was killed in a house fire in Salem Tuesday afternoon, according to the Salem Fire Department.
At approximately 1:15 p.m., multiple people called 911 and reported heavy smoke coming from a two-family home on Roslyn Street.
A retired Salem fire deputy chief who lives next door entered the home first, but said he was pushed back by the smoke and fire conditions inside.
“I got to the door and when I put my head in, I felt that hot, just that hot air and that smoke coming to my face. And thought I’m not going to make it far,” said John Payne, former Salem Deputy Fire Chief. “So I came back, I had an old jacket of mine. Grabbed that and a flashlight and I went back up with one of the detectives, and we had an extinguisher.”
When fire crews arrived, they entered the home and searched for anyone inside. Salem Fire Chief Alan Dionne said conditions inside the home made it difficult to find him, but they eventually located him on the third floor.
“Upon entering the stairway to the third floor unit, they encountered hoarding conditions which definitely slowed their attack towards the fire which was in the backside of the structure,” Dionne said. “When they were commencing the search it was incredibly difficult to find the victim, there was so much stuff in the building.”
The man was taken to Mass General Brigham Salem where he succumbed to his injuries. Neighbors said he had been having some health issues.
“We didn’t interact a whole heck of a lot, he was back and forth to the hospital almost daily,” said Vincent Morreale, who lives nearby.
No other injuries were reported, but the home is currently uninhabitable, according to Salem Fire.
Dionne commended Payne’s quick actions.
“Incredibly dangerous, but obviously heroic,” said Dionne. “I mean what more can be said about somebody that’s willing to do that. I really can’t commend them enough. I wouldn’t encourage people to do that. Some of that smoke is super heated and you’re certainly putting your life in danger, but, you know, it aboslutely is heroic beyond compare to go in and attempt that.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Salem Fire Department, Salem Police Deparmtent, State Police fire investigators assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, and State Police assigned to the Essex District Attorney’s Office.
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