Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Elderly Woman Dies in Boston Avenue Fire

A 94-year-old woman had succumbed to injuries by the time firefighters entered the home.

Note: This article was updated on Sunday at 2:01 p.m.

A 94-year-old woman died in a kitchen fire Sunday morning at 84 Boston Ave., according to Somerville Fire Deputy Chief Jim Lucia.

The first call about the fire, reported first by photographer Mike Moura on Twitter (@NEFirebuff), came in at 7:45 a.m.

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"Neighbors called the fire department and reported seeing heavy smoke coming from the house," Lucia said, with the department dispatching three engines, two trucks and a district chief to the scene.

"Upon entering the kitchen, they found heavy smoke conditions with fire and found a woman, 94-years-old," he said. "She had already succumbed to her injuries."

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Firefighters quickly knocked down the fire; the woman was the sole occupant of the home. Lucia said the cause of the fire hasn't been determined yet.

"They're still investigating it—not sure if she was doing something like cooking or heating up something, possibly that her clothes had been ignited," he said.

Most of the damage to the home was caused by smoke, Lucia said, with approximately $75,000 worth of damage throughout the two-and-a-half story home.


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