FIRE INCIDENTS FROM NFPA FILES Compiled and written by Richard Campbell, NFPA Research Group Residential MASSACHUSETTS Hoarding conditions fuel fire, hinder response in fatal house fire A house fire that was started by an ember or flame from a woodstove claimed the life of an elderly female occupant. Hoarding conditions were reported to have contributed to a heavy fuel load that complicated the efforts of firefighters to rescue the occupant. The fire department was called to the scene when a family member returned home to find the fire at 8 p.m. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke exhausting from the residence and fire venting through the roof. Bystanders immediately approached crew members to advise them that an elderly resident was likely located in a bedroom in the front corner of the home. An initial survey revealed that fencing prevented access to approximately half of the structure and that heavy fire was pushing from the rear toward the front of the home. Heavy smoke was coming from a window of the room where the occupant was believed to be located. Crews pulled a hose and used a transitional attack through a front window to cool the front bedroom. They then brought a hose to the side of the building in an effort to stop the fire from advancing farther to the front, attacking it through a burned out opening in the exterior wall. A search and rescue team made entry through the front window, but was unable to locate the victim in a primary search of the bedroom. They were hindered by large amounts of debris while continuing to search areas that were not under heavy fire conditions, exiting the building at one point to assess the potential for collapse. After multiple search attempts, incident command ordered crews to evacuate the building and to fight the fire from exterior locations. Incident command requested resources from 10 communities as the N F PA . O R G / J O U R N A L * NFPA JOURNAL | 69http://NFPA.ORG/JOURNAL