Man dies, woman escapes Natick house fire

NATICK, Mass. — A man died in an early morning house fire on Longfellow Road on Tuesday, while his wife was able to escape the fast-moving flames, fire officials said.

A neighbor captured video around 2 a.m. that showed intense flames shooting from the home at 29 Longfellow Road., with firefighters unable to enter.

A neighbor took this video of the fire on Longfellow Rd early this morning. ⁦@NatickFire⁩ confirms a man died and his wife escaped. Investigation is now underway. @boston25 pic.twitter.com/UdxYSGQv9n
— Kelly Sullivan (@ksullivannews) January 26, 2021

“I saw a firetruck turn the corner, I came up to the kitchen window and looked outside and I could see the flames over the neighbor’s fence,” said neighbor Tim Keene.

“The flames were getting bigger and bigger by the moment it seemed and we were standing over here and we could feel the heat coming from it,” Keene said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Natick Fire Chief Mike Lentini believes the fire started in the back of the house.

“Very heavy fire throughout the building,” Lentini said. “We were unable to enter the building. We did have a report there was one person in the house.”

Fire officials said the man became trapped in the back of the home and died in the fire, while his wife was able to make it out.

“I mean it’s devastating,” said neighbor Jim Spencer. “This is a pretty close neighborhood and it’s just devastating to hear something like that could happen. It’s awful.”

Investigators are working to determine what caused the fire. They were putting out hotspots at 5 a.m.

.@NatickFire starting to clean up, but now the investigation begins into what caused the fatal fire on Longfellow Rd early this morning. @boston25 pic.twitter.com/K1gOBxerMZ
— Kelly Sullivan (@ksullivannews) January 26, 2021