‘Tough for everyone’: Man killed in Newton house fire

A man is dead after a fire broke out in a Newton home on Sunday morning.

Newton Fire Chief Greg Gentile said they received a call for a house fire on Walnut Street around 8:30 a.m.

The initial call came in from an off-duty Boston firefighter who saw the home burning as he drove down Route 9.

Upon arrival, firefighters saw heavy fire from the first floor of the two-family home with reports of a person still inside.

The fire chief said firefighters made an aggressive attack and found a male victim. Firefighters removed him from the home but the victim did not survive his injuries, according to the fire chief.

“Our hearts go out to the family who lost a loved one today,” said Mayor Fuller and Chief Gentile. “This is the third fatal fire in our community since December. We want to urge all our residents to have working smoke alarms on every level of their home. And if you hear those alarms sound, please — get out, stay out, and close the doors on the way out.”

“This is obviously a tough morning, a tough morning for everyone involved,” Gentile said.

All other occupants of the home were able to get out.

Helen Jefferson, who lives next door, watched what she described an apocalyptic scene from afar.

“Just stuff you see on television that you don’t expect to see in your neighborhood,” Johnson detailed. “It was unbelievable.”

Neighbors Josh and Dan have lived off Walnut Street for decades, calling the home a staple off Route 9.

“Two hours earlier I walked right by it and everything was fine and you come back later and the place is a smoking ruin.”

In a statement, Newton’s mayor Ruthanne Fuller said this is the city’s third fatal fire since December.

An investigation by the Newton Fire Department, Newton Police Department, State Police fire investigators assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office, and State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s office is underway.

The fire does not appear suspicious but the exact cause has not yet been determined.

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