Watch CBS News

Elderly Man Dead, Firefighter Injured After Fall River Fire

FALL RIVER (CBS) -- One person is dead and a firefighter was injured after a fire broke out at a Fall River home early Saturday.

The victim was 88-year-old William Graham who lived alone in the second-floor apartment.

Firefighters responded to 11 Palmer Street around 4:30 a.m. after the resident on the first floor called 911.

fallriverfatalfire
Firefighters were called to a house on Palmer Street in Fall River for a fire Saturday morning (WBZ-TV)

"Crews on arrival had smoke, smoke coming from the building. They made an interior attack on the second floor, put the fire out. During a search, they did find an elderly male, deceased," said Fall River fire investigator Neil Furtado.

Furtado continued, "After the fire was out, we did have one of our firefighters come in the building, he was doing an assessment, and fell through the floor." He is expected to be OK.

A cat was also rescued from the second-floor apartment after the fire went out. The cat had been a gift from Robin Brouillard, she told WBZ-TV, because Graham's own cat had recently died.

Brouillard stopped by the house hours after the flames were put out.

"I've known him since I was a little girl; he was like a dad to me," Brouillard said of the victim. "He's family, he might not be on paper, but he's Pops."

She had just dropped off groceries for him Friday.

"It's just heartbreaking, I never thought he would go this way," she added. "He was a good man, a very very smart man."

The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.