ORANGE — The cause of Monday night’s fatal fire at 38 Glenwood Ave. appears to have been the improper use or disposal of smoking materials, according to investigators.
The fire claimed the life of Jane Peterson, 79, who is believed to be the sole occupant of the manufactured home, as well as two dogs.
A press statement from the fire marshal quoted Orange Fire Chief James Young saying, “This is a sad end to a long life,” adding that the outcome might have been different had there been working smoke alarms in the home.
“This is the 23rd fire death in Massachusetts this year, and over one-third of the deaths have been elderly over 65 years of age,” said State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey. “One common denominator in so many of these fire deaths has been the lack of working smoke alarms,” he added.
The fire was first reported to police around 9:08 p.m., according to the Orange Fire Department in a post on its Facebook page. Joining Orange Fire, Athol and New Salem fire departments responded.
Members of the Orange Fire and Police departments, together with the Massachusetts State Police assigned to both the Office of the State Fire Marshal and to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, jointly investigated the case and remained on scene until around 3 a.m.
Young said, “There was an excess amount of clutter in the home, which made it harder to fight the fire and contributed to the fire’s spread, and may have made it harder for the woman to escape.”
As flames were pushed back, Orange Fire Department said in its statement on Facebook, firefighters were able to enter the home through a window, using a ladder, and the woman was removed.
The dogs also died in the fire, Orange Fire Department said in its statement.
“The Orange Fire Department would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the victim’s family and friends,” Orange Fire Department said.