WORCESTER, MASS. (WHDH) - Firefighters in Worcester battled a multi-alarm blaze at a postal and business center just hours after a fire lieutenant died while working at the scene of a massive house fire about five miles away.
Crews responding to the Tatnuck Postal & Business Center at 1102 Pleasant Street before 11 a.m. on Wednesday found flames shooting from the roof of the building and thick smoke billowing into the air.
Video from Sky7 HD showed several firefighters on ladder trucks dousing the flames from the air.
The fire has since been knocked down but the building sustained significant roof damage. It’s not clear if anyone was injured.
Lt. Jason Menard died after “heroically and selflessly” saving his crew from a four-alarm house blaze at 7 Stockholm St. around 1 a.m., according to Worcester Fire Chief Michael Lavoie.
The firefighters gained entry into the third floor, where they became trapped by heavy fire conditions. Menard was unable to escape. They had been searching for a reported trapped resident and baby.
“Lt. Menard heroically and selflessly saved his crew, helping a probationary firefighter to the stairs and then returning to rescue another trapped firefighter, assisting him out the window,” Lavoie said.
The 39-year-old lieutenant, who has served on the Worcester Fire Department since 2010, leaves behind a wife and three children.
They had planned to head to Disney on Wednesday morning.
Residents are now marveling at the resiliency of this fire department.
“The whole city is grieving. You know, everybody grieves and it’s a very sad situation especially this time of year,” resident Eric Schaeffer said.
The city has now lost nine firefighters over the last 20 years.
Lavoie blames this on Worcester’s old triple-deckers which he says are filled with furnishings and carpets made partly with plastic.
“They burn hotter they burn faster. That combined with the old structures and the blown frame it is almost a disaster waiting to happen,” he said.
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