Elderly Man Killed In Beverly House Fire
BEVERLY (CBS) -- An elderly man was found dead after a fire tore through a multi-family house in Beverly Thursday morning, according to investigators.
The two-alarm fire broke out around 7 a.m. of the three-family home on Highland Terrace.
Beverly Police Chief John LeLacheur said five people were inside the building at the time. Eight people were displaced.
The Essex County District Attorney's Office identified the victim as 76-year-old Clark Young.
Two Beverly police officers ran inside to get people out, and carried two elderly women from the building. Police said that, due to heavy smoke and fire, they were unable to go back in for Young, who was trapped and died.
Young's daughter told WBZ-TV that her mother tried everything she could to save him, but the door closed and locked behind her. She said Young, a former postal worker, was adored by all.
"He's very popular in Beverly, he knows a lot of people," she said. "Great guy, don't think anyone has anything bad to say about him."
Stepdaughter Melissa Anderson called Young's death "horrible."
"I just wanted my dad out of there," she said. "That's all I wanted was for him to be OK. It just didn't work out that way."
Sam Morris said his autistic brother, Nathaniel, carried their grandmother out of the burning building.
"As soon as he heard the fire was going on, he grabbed my grandmother, who has pretty limited mobility," Sam told WBZ NewsRadio 1030. "He's a pretty strong guy, and she's a pretty frail woman, so he just carried her down the stairs and brought her to safety."
LeLacheur said he was proud of the two officers who went into the building to rescue residents. He said there were no injuries to any firefighters or police officers.
Fire Chief Paul Cotter said preliminary information indicates the cause of the fire as accidental.
Like many others who responded to the fire, Cotter had known Young for years.
"That's what we're here to do is save those people. It was a difficult fire and a big loss for the city. We all knew Clark," Cotter said.
Beverly Police and Fire Departments, Massachusetts State Police, the Massachusetts Fire Marshall's office, and the Essex District Attorney's office are investigating.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports
