Six people rescued in Brockton fire

No serious injuries reported in kitchen fire

By Maureen Boyle ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER

BROCKTON —Six people were rescued by firefighters this morning after smoke from a kitchen fire filled a Belmont Court apartment building.

The six residents were standing on balconies at the 51 Belmont Court building when firefighters arrived and were helped to safety down ladders by firefighters, said Deputy Fire Chief Edward Mack.

Several people were treated at the scene and at least one person was taken to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries, he said.

“A lot of them were treated with oxygen,” Mack said.

An off-duty West Bridgewater police officer, Daniel Desmond, who lives in the complex began banging on doors to alert residents when he noticed the smoke, Mack said.

“When we arrived, he had just walked one lady out of the people and informed me there were other people inside,” Mack said.

Flames were coming out of one apartment when firefighters pulled up and heavy smoke was filling the building,” Mack said.

“Access to the building was tough because of the snow the night before. We had a problem with one hydrant that was frozen. That happens occasionally with this type of weather,” he said.

Firefighters went door-to-door in the 12 unit building and found some residents still asleep, even though the smoke detector was loudly sounding, he said.

The fire started in the kitchen of a second floor apartment. The resident told firefighters he had just returned home from work, smelled smoke and saw what appeared to be a fire around the stove, Mack said.

“His son was outside shoveling at the time,” Mack said. “He called 911 and alerted people to the fire.”

The cause of the fire, reported at 6:32 a.m., is under investigation.

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