Gloucester Fire Department In Action
One dies, two hurt in house fire
(Courtesy of Gloucester Daily Times)
TIMES STAFF
One woman died and two men were injured in a fire that destroyed a home in the woods of West Gloucester last night.
Fire officials at the scene said one of the men used a highly flammable liquid, acetone, to start a fire in a wood stove. The fire, at 30 Woodman St., quickly got out of control.
Barbara Bentley, 40, who was staying at the Action Homeless Shelter, perished in the blaze. Thomas "Boop" Jacobs, 27, of 31 Fernald St., received severe burns while trying to put out the fire.
After Jacobs was examined at Addison Gilbert Hospital, he was transferred by Lyons Ambulance to Brigham and Women's Hospital, where he remains in intensive care.
The home's owner, Carl Hermsdorf, escaped with singed hair, but was taken to the local hospital after complaining of chest pains. According to a spokeswoman from Addison Gilbert, he is in stable condition.
The year 2000 has opened with three major house fires in Gloucester. The first, on Millett Street on Feb. 13, destroyed a three-family home and left 10 people homeless. A week later, Foster Cole died in a blaze on Western Avenue that destroyed a small, wooden house.
Trooper Pat Silva from the state fire marshal's office, and Michael Stone from the Essex County District Attorney's office were on the scene of the Woodman Street fire this morning.
They will join local Fire Inspector Joseph Mountain, Police Lt. Michael McLeod and Detective Kenneth Ryan in a joint investigation that will include sifting through the rubble of the burned house.
An autopsy will also be performed on Bentley.
A Woodman Street neighbor called the Fire Department at 10:18 last night but the 2 1/2-story house was already engulfed in flames when the engines arrived.
Witnesses said firefighters with flashlights found Jacobs
lying on the ground holding onto a hose, calling for help.
Low water pressure hampered firefighters' efforts, as it did at the Millett Street fire.
"You knew the house wasn't going to be saved because there was no water," said one neighbor watching at the scene.
While the response to the Millett Street fire was hampered by an unexpected problem with water pressure in the hydrant system, last night's lack of water was due to the water pipes in that area.
"It was a small main," said Deputy Fire Chief Phillip Dench this morning. "When you get out into those areas, the lines are smaller."
Firefighter Eric Blackman suffered from a twisted ankle and was treated at the hospital.
The terrain was rocky and heavily wooded. The driveway, a
lengthy, winding, dirt path, quickly turned to mud as
firefighters hosed down the building. Heavy smoke obscured a full
moon and mingled with an incoming fog that prevented a helicopter
from taking Jacobs to a Boston hospital by air.
Surrounding the charred remains of the house were a Dumpster, a small, rusted car stuffed with garbage bags, and a wooden garage filled with cans and tools.
The air was cool enough for people to see their breath and the Salvation Army brought a canteen truck to serve coffee to the emergency personnel. Also on hand was state Sen. Bruce Tarr, a West Gloucester resident.
Searchlights and the lights from television cameras played over the scene as firefighters searched for Bentley's remains after midnight.
Times staff writers Gail McCarthy, John Enos, Barbara Taormina and Meredith Fine contributed to this report.
