No Cause, No Smoke Detectors In Northborough Fatal Fire

NORTHBOROUGH, MA — The cause of the fire at 129 Maple St. on Friday will be considered "officially undetermined."

"There is no evidence that the fire was intentionally set," according to Jake Wark, Public Information Officer for the Department of Fire Services.

Northborough Fire Chief David L. Parenti, State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey and Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early said the fire originated in the bedroom of Unit 1, where 40-year-old Kevin Hunt died, according to Wark.

Northborough firefighters did everything they could to rescue Hunt, but when firefighters arrived, flames 30 to 40-feet high were blowing out the second floor front window, Fire Chief David Parenti said.

"The relevant National Fire Protection Association standard requires investigators to classify a fire as undetermined if they cannot eliminate all but one possible cause of a fire: while a single cause could not be determined to the exclusion of all others, the improper disposal of smoking materials or an unspecified electrical event are considered possible causes," Wark said in a release.

The building that housed five apartments, owned by David G. Pierce of Berlin, had no working smoke detectors, Parenti said on Friday.

Pierce bought the property, which was built in 1849, in 1996 for $163,000. He owns numerous properties in town comprising of other apartment buildings, including five units at 75 Hudson St. and the office building at 56 W. Main St., according to Northborough Property Cards.

"Smoke alarms can’t help you escape a fire if the batteries are missing or expired," Chief Parenti said. "If the alarm is beeping or chirping, don’t just remove the batteries. It’s a sign that the batteries or the device itself needs to be replaced. The State Fire Code requires replacement smoke alarms in older one- and two-family homes to be photoelectric and have 10-year, sealed, non-replaceable, non-rechargeable batteries and a hush feature. This is to make it easier for people to maintain these important safety tools."

"Owners shall provide, install, and maintain in operable condition smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms in every dwelling that is required to be equipped with smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms," according to Section 410.482 of the State Sanitary Code dictating minimum standards of fitness for human habitation of a property.

Landlords can require that tenants maintain the smoke detectors if it's written in the rental agreement, according to masslandlords.net.

"In the average house fire, there are only one to three minutes to escape after the smoke alarm sounds, so it’s critical to keep them working and test them monthly,” said State Fire Marshal Ostroskey.

The man in the second floor unit, across from the blaze, happened to wake up. He was able to help his neighbors evacuate the building.

"Normally when people wake up during a fire, they are too incapacitated or disoriented to react," Parenti said. "It is incredibly lucky they woke up and were able to react, or there would have been a lot more than one victim."

"On behalf of the Northborough Fire Department, I’d like to express our deepest condolences to Mr. Hunt’s loved ones," Parenti said.

The origin and cause of the fire were jointly investigated by the Northborough Fire Department, the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office, and State Police detectives assigned to the Worcester County District Attorney’s office. The Department of Fire Services’ Code Compliance Unit provided assistance.

Attempts to reach Pierce for comment were unsuccessful.