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Fire officials were on the scene Wednesday morning.

4-Year-Old Child Dies in North Adams Duplex Fire

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The duplex is tucked back off West Shaft Road.
Update Friday, March 14: The victim in Tuesday's fire has been identified by the DA's Office as Ensley Lacosse, age 4, 
 
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.

 


Tags: fatal,   structure fire,   

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North Adams School Committee Votes to Promote Callahan as Superintendent

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

Timothy Callahan is interviewed by the School Committee at City Hall on Thursday. He was the sole candidate put forward for superintendent.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The School Committee on Thursday unanimously selected Timothy Callahan to lead the North Adams Public Schools. 
 
Callahan, currently assistant superintendent, will replace Barbara Malkas on her retirement at the end of the school year. 
 
His appointment, pending contract negotiations, came after a public interview by the School Committee at City Hall during which he was asked 20 questions, a number of which were from or informed by community input. 
 
They ranged from academics to security to federal funding to equity to bullying to community involvement. Callahan easily expounded upon his experiences and vision for the school district for more than 90 minutes. 
 
He laughed at the end when Mayor Jennifer Macksey asked if he would to make a closing statement in "five minutes or less."
 
"As you can tell, I can talk about this stuff all night," he said. "I really love what I do."
 
The former Drury High principal was the only candidate put forward out of 13 applications. 
 
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