At least 25 families and an estimated 49 people were displaced in the blaze. Homes have been found for about half the families.
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HOLYOKE - Demolition crews brought in heavy equipment and began removing the top floors of a five-story building that was ravaged by fire Sunday morning, leaving one resident dead and displacing 49 others.
At least two other people cannot be located. In a press conference Sunday evening, Massachusetts Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey said investigators said the two people are unaccounted for, which means they simply may be away for the holidays.
The fire began at about 8:50 a.m. in an apartment block at the corner of North East and Dwight streets.
One woman died when she jumped from the fourth or fifth floor to escape the flames. Her name has not been released yet, Fire Capt. Anthony Cerruti said.
Several other people were injured and transported to area hospitals. Officials could not say how many people needed treatment or if any suffered serious injuries. One firefighter also received a minor injury to his hand, Fire Chief John Pond said.
"Upon arrival there was fire showing on the third, fourth and fifth floors. The fire department quickly began operations, we had several rescues with our fire ladders and the Holyoke Police Department assisted with those rescues," Pond said.
Before firefighters arrived, residents also tried to help neighbors were trapped. Some even held blankets and a mattress to catch people who jumped from upper floors.
While some firefighters focused on rescuing people, others started to extinguish the fire in part to buy people time to escape, he said.
All Holyoke firefighters, including those who were off duty, were called to assist. Chicopee and South Hadley Fire Departments also responded to the fire, he said.
Between 40 and 50 firefighters battled the fire until it was extinguished late Sunday morning, Cerruti said.
Currently the Holyoke Fire Department and the State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause of the blaze, Pond said.
Also assisting at the fire scene was the Holyoke Police Department and the Holyoke Auxiliary Police helped set up shelters. The Pioneer Valley of the American Red Cross, and city officials all pitched in to help the 25 families displaced by the blaze.
Mayor Alex Morse announced the city has set up a gofundme page and hopes to raise $100,000 to help the families. Before 8 p.m. about $6,000 had already been pledged to the fund. So many residents came out to drop off clothing, diapers, money and other items that Morse announced clothing was no longer needed and thanked the community for their generosity. Toiletries are still needed.
"This is such a heartbreaking day," Morse said and thanked people for their generosity.
After the fire stopped smoldering, the city's building inspector determined it was in danger of collapse and demolition crews were brought in to tear down the upper floors.
During the demolition, one wall did collapse, damaging the roof of the neighboring home on North East Street. The residents had been evacuated from the home as a precaution before the demolition began so no one was injured, Pond said.
"We had to demolish the building. It was a chance we took," he said.
The problem is the fire destroyed the roof and trusses so the brick walls were freestanding and in danger of collapse. They were further weakened by the water that was poured on them by firefighters, Cerruti said.
The Fire Department towed cars parked in front of East Dwight and North East streets so they could get demolition equipment to the scene and work safely. Even if the owners could be found, most had left their keys behind in a rush to escape the flames, Fire Capt. Anthony Cerruti said.
Once the upper floors are removed, fire investigators will likely be able to enter the building and begin gathering evidence to try to pinpoint a cause of the blaze, he said.
Investigators have also begun interviewing residents who witnessed the fire to get better information about what they saw. Even if inspectors cannot enter the building, they will likely be able to find a cause from talking to witnesses and through firefighters observations, Cerruti said.
At the same time police officials walked through the Dr. Marcella Kelly School and showed people, including the property manager, at least one photo of a missing person and asked them if they knew of the person's whereabouts.
Officials opened the nearby school to give residents a warm place to stay. There employees from the property company which manages the building, the Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross and a number of local volunteers including City Councilors worked to find housing, clothing and other necessities for the large number of victims.
The building is owned by Navih Investments, which also has other apartment complexes in the city. The company and some cooperating landlords were able to find new homes for between 10 to 15 families. The remaining people will be housed in hotels until Tuesday when the city can again start searching for permanent housing for them, Morse said.
Some residents were able to escape with their pets but some were not. Cerruti said firefighters were able to rescue one cat while extinguishing the fire.
Firefighters saw the cat in a second-floor window and climbed an extension ladder to reach the window. When they broke the glass with an axe, the cat jumped through the window, landed on the sidewalk unharmed and ran away.