Jan 2, 2008 2:48 pm US/Eastern
Second Victim Found In Burned South Boston Condos
SOUTH BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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The 7-alarm fire broke out just before 8 p.m. Monday.
WBZ
Investigators found a second victim in a burned out condominium complex in South Boston Tuesday, in the same unit where firefighters discovered the first victim.
The seven-alarm fire swept through the five-story condominium complex just before 8 p.m. Monday, forcing firefighters to leave the building before they could determine whether others may have been trapped inside.
Late Tuesday morning, fire officials said the body of an adult woman had been found in the same apartment as the first victim. She has not been identified.
The first victim, Peter Clancy, 47, died from smoke inhalation Monday night, shortly after firefighters pulled him out of his first floor unit, where the fire started. Authorities said initial reports that he had a heart attack were false.
Investigators have accounted for Clancy's teenage daughter, who was not home at the time of the fire. They do not believe there are any more victims in the building.
Clancy had been a staff assistant for the building and grounds at UMass Boston since 1996. The school expressed its sympathy for him and his family in a written statement Tuesday.
Because of the intense flames, crews were ordered out about 45 minutes after they arrived at the 18-unit brick building Monday night.
Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald said the roof had collapsed into the top floor, then partially into the floor below.
The search was delayed until a city building engineer determined the structure was safe for firefighters to enter.
There's no word yet on a cause but investigators said the age of the building contributed to the speed of the fire.
The fire started in Clancy's first-floor apartment in the kitchen at the rear of the building. Within minutes, flames spread to all five floors. Some 130 firefighters responded. Six other buildings in the neighborhood were evacuated as a precaution.
The building at 309 Emerson Street was the former Hotel Eaton. It had been converted into condominiums.
An emergency shelter has been set up for residents at the Hurley Community Center at 1663 Columbia Road in South Boston.
Fifty-eight people were killed in fires in Massachusetts in 2007. That number is up from 2006's record low fire death total of 43.
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(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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