BROCKTON, MASS. (WHDH) - One person was found dead following an early morning apartment fire in Brockton on Tuesday, officials said.
Firefighters responding to Harvard Street just after 3:30 a.m. discovered flames in an apartment on the first floor of a 13-unit complex.
Resident James Drew recalled seeing smoke pouring out of the apartment, where he says the person found dead lived.
“It was devastating to find out he was in there,” he said. “As soon as they started opening windows and breaking windows you couldn’t even see inside inside the house, inside his apartment, that’s how much smoke was in there.”
Deputy Fire Chief Scott Albanese says nothing appears suspicious but the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Resident Donna Elliot escaped from the burning apartment building after she says her neighbor woke her up.
“It was terrifying. I just moved here. I haven’t even been here a whole month,” she said. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen, where we’re gonna go. But they said they won’t let us back in until the landlord fixes all the electrical wires.”
The American Red Cross is assisting the roughly 20 occupants who were displaced.
This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)