BRAINTREE, Mass. — Authorities have identified a man who was found dead in a closet after a fire tore through his Braintree home early Saturday morning.
Firefighters responding to a call from a passerby who stated that “there is a fire” burning at 29 Hobart Avenue around 4 a.m. were greeted by heavy flames and smoke, according to the Braintree Mayor’s Office.
Braintree Deputy Fire Chief James O’Toole said crews attempted to battle the blaze from inside the home, but extreme heat and falling debris initially forced firefighters back. The fire spread rapidly and it took crews nearly an hour to bring it under control.
After the flames were knocked down, firefighters searched the home and found 85-year-old John Sullivan dead in a closet covered in clothing, the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office said.
“The victim was the homeowner and no other residents were in the home at the time of the fire,” the mayor’s office wrote in a statement.
A preliminary investigation revealed that there were no working smoke detectors in the home, according to Braintree Fire Chief James O’Brien.
“On behalf of the Braintree Fire Department, I want to express our heartfelt condolences to the victim’s family and loved ones,” O’Brien said. “I also want to point out that we found no working smoke alarms at the scene. Please, take a moment today to be sure you have working smoke alarms on every level of your home. Don’t start the new year without them.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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