Local News

Woman, dog die in Abington house fire

A man was hospitalized after the fire.

The scene of a fatal fire at 736 Linwood road in Abington. One person died and another was injured in a 2-alarm fire Thursday morning, officials said. Barry Chin/Globe Staff

By Gwen Egan

1 minute to read

A 45-year-old woman is dead, and a man is in the hospital after a fire in Abington Thursday. Officials said the fire is not believed to be suspicious and was most likely caused by an unspecified piece of electric equipment in the living room.

Firefighters responded to the fire at 736 Linwood St. at 3:45 a.m. and found the house full of smoke and flames. The victim was later identified as Susan Boerman. A dog also died in the fire.

“On behalf of the Abington Fire Department, I want to express our condolences to the victim’s family and loved ones,” said Abington Fire Chief John M. Nuttall. “Electrical fires are the second-leading cause of fatal fires in Massachusetts.”

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Nuttall recommends avoiding having electrical cords under rugs, or anywhere they could be pinched, such as doors. Cords that are damaged or otherwise worn down should not be used. Phones and tablets should be charged on a flat service and remember not to use extension cords or power strips for extended periods of time.

“Modern fires burn faster than they did a few decades ago,” said State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey. “You might have less than three minutes to escape from a house fire.”

Ostroskey said it’s essential to have smoke alarms on every floor and develop a plan to evacuate the home if a fire were to ever occur.

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