According to local fire officials, after the fire started at around 12:45 a.m. on Saturday, the flames swept through the family’s rural house. Initial investigations seem to indicate the fire was accidental and was possibly started by the wood stove in the home’s kitchen. While the mother and four children were tragically killed in the blaze, reportedly two other family members, an adult and a child, did survive and have been taken to a hospital in Keene, New Hampshire for treatment.
Reportedly their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
Warwick is a small town with no fire hydrants
A report by ABC News states that Warwick is a small town in Franklin County with less than 800 residents. Reportedly the town has no fire hydrants, which meant firefighters had to draw water from a source around half a mile from the scene of the House Fire. Firefighters from around 16 fire departments in the area were involved and had problems working, due to the bitterly cold temperatures causing their equipment to freeze.
Firefighters were unable to stop the blaze
Fire Chief Ron Gates said in a news conference that there was nothing they could have done any differently, as when they arrived on the scene the house was already completely engulfed in flames.
Reportedly officers recovered the bodies of the victims from the rubble of the house several hours later once the fire was out and there was apparently very little left of the family’s home after the blaze. According to State Fire Marshall Peter Ostrosky, the names and ages of the victims will be released after next of kin have been notified and formal identification made.
A great loss to the small rural Massachusetts community
According to a report by Fox News, three of the children who died in the fire attended public schools in the town. Warwick’s town coordinator, David Young, said the community had suffered a terrible loss of life and a huge blow to their spirits, adding that the town was coming together to respond to the tragedy and mourn their loss.