WEBSTER, MASS. (WHDH) - The improper disposal of smoking materials is the likely cause of a fatal fire in Webster that claimed the life of a 60-year-old man.
Firefighters responding to a reported fire on High Street around 9:40 p.m. on May 19 found a woman standing on the roof of the home as flames shot out of the side of the structure, according to Webster Fire Chief Brian Hickey.
The woman managed to make it to safety after a ladder was brought over by a neighbor, Hickey said.
Crews located Paul Duvall on the second floor and he could not be resuscitated, the Department of Fire Services said.
Residents in the basement and first floor were able to escape.
One of the residents who lived on the bottom floor says Duvall had gotten his wife out on the roof and went back inside to save their cats.
“It is always terribly sad when we lose one of our residents in a fire and on behalf of Town of Webster, I offer heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the victim,” Hickey said.
The official cause of the fire will remain undetermined because electrical wiring in the area cannot be ruled out entirely as a possible cause.
There were no other reported injuries.
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