ABINGTON, Mass. — A 45-year-old woman has died and a man is in the hospital after a Thursday morning fire in Abington. The Plymouth District Attorney’s Office identified the victim as Susan Boerman.
Fire Chief John Nuttall says the call came in around 3:45 a.m. for a fire on Linwood Street. The house was fully engulfed in flames when crews arrived to the scene, leaving the building as a total loss. The fire is not believed to be suspicious and was most likely caused by an “unspecified electrical event” in the living room, according to officials. A dog also died in the fire.
“On behalf of the Abington Fire Department, I want to express our condolences to the victim’s family and loved ones,” said Chief Nuttall. “Electrical fires are the second-leading cause of fatal fires in Massachusetts.”
The origin and cause of the fire were jointly investigated by the Abington Fire Department, the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office, and State Police detectives assigned to the Plymouth District Attorney’s office.
“Modern fires burn faster than they did a few decades ago,” said State Fire Marshal Ostroskey, “you might have less than three minutes to escape from a house fire, so it’s important for everyone to have working smoke alarms on every floor and a home escape plan that accounts for two ways out.”
The Abington Fire Chief also would like to remind residents of basic safety tips when it comes to preventing electrical fires, including placing laptops and phones on hard surfaces while they’re charging rather than on beds or sofas and avoiding running electrical cords under rugs.
The fire departments of Brockton, East Bridgewater, Hanson, Holbrook, Rockland, Weymouth, and Whitman provided mutual aid, and Norwell Ambulance also responded. Investigators were assisted by the Code Compliance & Enforcement Unit of the Department of Fire Services.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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