PHOTO BY SCOTT EISEN
Pictured is the scene of a fire at 30 Perkins Ave. in Malden where an elderly couple was killed Feb. 14.
BY STEVE FREKER
MALDEN—Family and neighbors of an elderly couple who died as a result of a quick-moving Valentine’s night fire are joined by residents across the city in mourning their loss.
As of Friday morning, Middlesex District Attorney officials had not yet identified the victims, described by neighbors as a quiet couple they said had lived in one unit at 30 Perkins Avenue for many years. Perkins Avenue is located in Malden’s Bell Rock neighborhood, one street from the Malden-Everett city line.
The fire was confined to the couple’s unit in the four-unit complex. A resident of the one of the other units, in a televised report, said the residences are separated by brick-lined walls, a safety feature that may have helped stop the fire from spreading.
State and local fire officials called the couple’s death “a tragedy,” confirming in reports that improper disposal of smoking materials was the likely cause.
The fire started just before midnight late Tuesday and swept through the two-floor unit before being extinguished by Malden firefighters.
Malden Fire Chief Kevin Finn confirmed there were no working smoke detectors or carbon monoxide (CO2) detectors at the fire scene. Chief Finn and State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey, who was at the fire scene Tuesday and on Wednesday, stressed the need for all residents to install and maintain smoke alarms and CO2 detectors for the sake of their safety and to help protect the lives of their families.
“This fire is a terrible tragedy for the family and the community. I urge every resident of Malden not to go to sleep (unless) all their smoke and CO alarms are working,” Chief Finn said in press statement.
“Sadly, this fire reminds us of how important working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to give people early warning of danger,” Fire Marshal Ostroskey said.
The fire is being jointly investigated by the Malden Fire and Police Departments as well as by State Police assigned to the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, which is heading up the investigation.
According to reports, the fire started next to a couch in the first-floor living room. One victim was found on the first floor and the other in the second-floor bathroom. The elderly male victim was pronounced dead at the scene while the woman was rushed to an area hospital late Tuesday. Middlesex DA officials announced she had died midday Wednesday.