Two killed in Waltham house fire identified

WALTHAM, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) - A man and a woman who died in an overnight house fire in Waltham have been identified.

The 2-alarm fire was broke out before 3 a.m. When crews arrived to the home at 67 Ash Street they reported finding heavy flames on the second floor of the home.

Crews found a 75-year-old woman, later identified as Elizabeth Miller, at the top of the stairs. Responders were able to get her out of the home, but she later died at the hospital. Firefighters found a second person, 49-year-old Eric Miller, upstairs. He was pronounced dead at the home.

The pair were reportedly mother and son.

Firefighters said today's frigid temperatures made fighting the fire much more difficult. They also had to deal with waist-high snow that surrounded the home. They said the fire hydrant on the street had been cleared out so that was not an issue.

A firefighter also suffered a minor burn to his hand after he came in contact with a flash fire as he entered the home.
The cold also hampered clean up efforts. A heated MBTA bus was brought to the scene so that firefighters could use it to warm up as they wrapped up their investigation. 

The fire remains under investigation.

"While any number of issues could have led to this fire, incidents like this serve as a reminder to all of us to make sure smoke detectors are in working order," said Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.

Elizabeth and Eric Miller were the seventh and eighth fire deaths of 2015, the state fire marshal said.

Cox Media Group