Worcester house fire leaves 2 dead, 2 firefighters injured

WORCESTER – A husband and wife died and two firefighters were injured Tuesday evening when a fire tore through a multi-family home in Worcester.

Family members identified the two people killed. Juana Candelario, 59, and her husband of more than 30 years, Daniel Gonzalez, 62, were stuck on the first floor of the three-story building on Hancock Street.

“A really complex situation”

Firefighters said it was a fast-moving fire for crews, and victims were still inside. “When you get reports of people being trapped and you're trying to rescue them as well as put out a fire, it's a really complex situation to deal with,” Deputy Fire Chief Adam Roche said.

Witnesses testify to the speed of the flames, as they watched residents inside the triple-decker try to escape. “All I saw was people running out, the fire crackling on the side of the building,” said neighbor Alexis Kostas.

Roche says the fire started in a living room on the first floor. Twelve residents of the second and third floors, including some children and grandchildren of the victims, were able to escape. They consoled each other on the sidewalk while family members, protecting themselves from smoke inhalation, went in and out of the house to collect all their belongings.

Neighbor Ksenia List feared the flames would spread. “It was very difficult not being able to sleep,” List said. “It’s terrible, especially since we don’t know the cause.”

Two firefighters injured

Two firefighters had to be hospitalized for exhaustion, with the deputy fire chief calling their efforts heroic. “This is a difficult time for the Worcester Fire Department. We are a resilient group, our firefighters have done a valiant job, relying on their strategies and tactics to achieve better results here,” Roche said .

But unfortunately not everyone could be rescued, including a dog and three cats. “There’s a lot of family in there, it’s very sad, it’s unfortunate that two people died,” Kostas said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation as well as whether any smoke detectors were working. Roche says the fire was extinguished within 15 minutes, but firefighters were heartbroken they couldn't reach far enough to the first floor.