Fatal Barnstable Fire: Extension Cord Blamed

BARNSTABLE, MA — An extension cord was blamed for causing a Barnstable fire last week that claimed the life of an elderly man. Owen Duff, 86, was killed in a fire at his Millway home April 27. Duff was unconscious when he was pulled from the burning residence; he was revived but later succumbed this his injuries.

The fire started in the kitchen, where an oil heater was plugged into an extension cord, according to State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey. The cord was pinched by furniture and failed because it was either pinched or overloaded, according to Ostroskey. Heaters like that one should be plugged directly into an outlet, he added.

There were no working smoke alarms in the residence, Ostroskey said.

“This is a tragic end to a long life and on behalf of the Town of Barnstable, I offer our condolences the Duff family," Barnstable Fire Chief Francis Pulsifer said in a statement.

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