NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Firefighters battled a late-night structure fire Tuesday that left two people seriously injured and one 4-year-old child dead.

 

According to the District Attorney's Office and local and state fire officials, the structure fire occurred at approximately 11:30 p.m. at a duplex located on West Shaft Road. The North Adams Fire Department responded to the fire in the two-story, two-family home.

 

A video by a passing motorists shows the home fully engulfed in flames. 

 

Upon arrival, five occupants were outside, including an adult and minor with serious injuries. Firefighters were informed that one resident was unaccounted for; that person, a 4-year-old, was located deceased inside.

 

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will conduct a formal identification procedure and determine the cause and manner of death.

 

"On behalf of the North Adams Fire Department, I want to express our heartfelt condolences to the family that lost a loved one and their home," said Fire Chief Brent Lefebvre. "This is a terrible loss for them and our community."

 

All the occupants were transported to North Adams Regional Hospital. The two people who sustained serious injuries were flown to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

 

North Adams firefighters responded to the blaze with mutual aid from Clarksburg and Williamstown. It took about an hour and a half to knock down the bulk of the fire and personnel were still working at the scene well into the morning.

 

The origin and cause of the fire are being investigated by the North Adams Fire Department, North Adams Police Department, State Police fire investigators assigned to the State Fire Marshal's office, and State Police assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney's office. They are assisted by the Department of Fire Services' Code Compliance and Enforcement Unit.

 

More information will be released as it becomes available. The identification of the individuals in the fire will be released once their families have been notified.