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1 Dead, 2 Injured After Fitchburg Triple-Decker Engulfed In Flames, Smoke

FITCHBURG (CBS) -- One person was killed and two others were injured after flames ripped through a triple-decker home in Fitchburg Friday morning.

Video from the scene on Hartford Street shows smoke engulfing the house and fire shooting from the roof.

When firefighters arrived, they rescued one person from the second floor. That person was taken to the hospital and later died.

"The one person we did rescue off the side of the building, she was unconscious at the time. Crews went into the second floor over a ladder and extricated her," Fitchburg Deputy Chief Duante Suarez said.

Two others who escaped from the building were taken to the hospital for treatment. One witness told WBZ-TV that a man jumped out of a second floor window to escape.

"This whole building was engulfed in flames," said neighbor Frank Brooks. "I could feel the heat from my side door right here when I opened the door, that's how intense it was."

"There was a gentleman sitting right in front of my fence here, he was just covered in debris and bleeding and everything. We asked if he needed help or anything like that," Brooks continued.

Investigators believe the fire began in a hallway on the first floor. The cause has not yet been determined.

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