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A man died in a fire in Leominster, Massachusetts, overnight, according to fire officials.
The Leominster Fire Department responded to a report of a fire in a condominium building on Meadow Pond Drive around 2 a.m. Firefighters arriving at the scene found a fire in the living room of one unit and a badly injured older adult inside.
Firefighters removed the man, who was in his 60s and had limited mobility, and took him to an area hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. His name has not been released.
The fire was brought under control a short time after firefighters arrived at the scene.
A second resident of the condo was displaced as a result of hte blaze.
The fire is being investigated by Leominster police and fire, along with state police investigators assigned to the State Fire Marshal's Office and the Worcester District Attorney's Office. Investigators found evidence of smoking materials and home oxygen equipment in the residence.
“This is the second fatal fire in less than a week where investigators found home oxygen equipment,” State Fire Marshal Jon Davine said in a statement. “There’s no truly safe way to smoke, but smoking around medical oxygen is especially dangerous. Oxygen will allow any fire to spread faster and burn hotter. If you or a loved one use home oxygen, please don’t smoke.”
