1 Dead In Early Morning Athol Fire
ATHOL (CBS) -- One person died in an early morning fire in Athol on Thursday.
Officials said the fire occurred in a remote part of town and displaced another resident who was able to escape the fire.
Firefighters found a heavily-involved home upon arrival, but started an "interior attack" because they knew someone was inside, Fire Chief John Duguay said.
"Crews were forced to retreat when portions of the structure began collapsing around them," Duguay said in a statement. "Based upon the conditions at the time it appears that the victim had already succumbed."
The displaced resident was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim and family at this time," Town Manager Shaun Suhoski said. "And, given the remote location, and poor weather conditions, we were fortunate that there were no injuries to our first responders who did an outstanding job."
The State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating.
