Dave Canton – masslive.com
CHICOPEE — Two people are dead after an early morning fire swept through a Chicopee home on Saturday.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office said the 2:15 a.m. fire at 15 Hudson Ave. was called in to 911 by a neighbor. Firefighters arrived at the scene to find the single-family home nearly fully engulfed in flames. First-arriving fire officials expanded the call to two alarms, triggering requests for mutual aid from Springfield, Holyoke and Westover units.
Dennis Tetrault lives in the house next to the fire scene. He said he awoke to see red flashing lights playing across his window shades.
“When I looked out, the flames coming out of the house were unbelievable,” he said.
Roger Batchelor lives on Britton Street not far from the fire scene. He said he woke to hear loud pops in the distance.
“I looked out and there were flames going all around the house,” he said.
Fire officials said at one point three sides of the home were involved in flames and fire had started burning through the roof.
Fire officials warned Tetrault and his wife Claire to prepare for evacuation, but the fire was knocked down before that happened.
The Tetraults said the couple who lived in the house were quiet and kept to themselves during the five years they were neighbors. The woman who lived in 15 Hudson was known for bringing dog treats to neighborhood dogs and for feeding the squirrels.
People from around Hudson Avenue said the couple who lived in the house were well know and had lived in the house for at least 25 years. They were part of the close-knit fabric of the neighborhood.
Firefighters discovered the bodies of the two people, one reportedly on the first floor and another on the second. They were pronounced dead at the scene. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner took custody of the remains and will confirm their identities and determine the exact cause of death.
“This is a terribly sad day for the victims’ loved ones and our community,” Chicopee Fire Chief Daniel Stamborski said in a press release. “Our thoughts are with the family right now.”
The fire remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Chicopee Fire Department, the Chicopee Police Department, state police fire investigators attached to the Fire Marshal’s Office, and state police detectives attached to the District Attorney’s Office.
- Recruit Collapsed in MA Fire Academy Exercise; Resuscitated by Firefighter On Scene
- Massachusetts Firefighter Safety Grants Contingent on Compliance With Transit Housing Law
- Four Electric School Buses Burn in MA
- Retired Worcester (MA) Firefighter Mark Stomski Dies; Injured in Line of Duty in 2008
©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit masslive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
