Massachusetts
Mother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
A mother and daughter have been taken to the hospital after a house explosion in Taunton, Massachusetts, on Wednesday morning, fire officials say.
The explosion was reported at a three-family home at 78 Plain St. Video from the scene shows a home engulfed in flames.
Taunton fire officials say a mother, 25, and her 2-year-old daughter were transported from the scene. The mother was taken to Rhode Island Hospital with serious burns. The daughter was also burned and taken to Hasbro Children’s Hospital with serious injuries.
Investigators believe the mother initially got out of the house on her own, Taunton Fire Chief Steven P. Lavigne said at a press conference. She went back in for her daughter, which was when she was hurt.
A third person, the mother’s boyfriend, was initially reported missing, but was located a short time later. He was not home at the time.
Emergency crews responded to a house explosion on Plain Street in Taunton, Massachusetts, on Wednesday morning, with multiple injuries reported, according to the state fire marshal’s office and mayor.
“The situation is now under control, but this was a very serious incident,” Lavigne said in a media statement. “The weather conditions present unique challenges, but we plan for these situations.”
Utilities in the neighborhood have been shut down, Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell.
Two other homes were damaged by the fire. One was vacant, and no one was home at the other at the time. Around 10 people are displaced.
A warming center is available for displaced residents at the senior center.
Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell tells NBC10 Boston that three people were burned, and their conditions remain unclear.
The cause of the explosion remains under investigation, though fire officials did confirm they are looking into this was a gas issue.
Eversource was called in to assist at the scene.
“We have gas personnel on site coordinating closely with fire officials in response to the incident in the area of Plain and Hart streets in Taunton. We are actively investigating the issue, and continue to work with local and public safety officials,” the company said in a statement.
The State Fire Marshal’s office said there is no further danger to the rest of the neighborhood.
State Police fire investigators are responding to support the Taunton Fire Department.
Gov. Maura Healey said she’s been briefed on the situation.
“I’m keeping those hurt in the explosion, their loved ones, and their neighbors in my prayers,” the governor wrote on X.
The public is being asked to avoid the area.
This comes after Taunton received around 30 inches of snow during Monday’s blizzard, with cleanup efforts still underway. Officials said the snowy conditions made the response more challenging.
“We had our police officers digging out fire hydrants when they got here,” O’Connell said.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/TMWRCY2JB5BRDPF652PHEVNXS4.jfif?w=400&resize=400,240&ssl=1 "Weekend storm: Latest forecast, timing, expected snow totals for Massachusetts")
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/TMWRCY2JB5BRDPF652PHEVNXS4.jfif?w=80&resize=80,80&ssl=1 "Weekend storm: Latest forecast, timing, expected snow totals for Massachusetts")
Massachusetts
Mass stranding of bottlenose dolphins off Cape Cod said to be largest in Massachusetts history
Rescuers were working to save around 30 bottlenose dolphins that got stranded off the coast of Cape Cod early Monday morning. It is the largest known stranding of bottlenose dolphins off Massachusetts, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
The dolphins had become stranded between First Light and Ellis Landing in Brewster at about 5:30 a.m. when they came in with the tide. A woman noticed the animals and reported it. The IFAW quickly responded to the area, but five to six of the marine mammals died before help arrived.
The IFAW worked throughout the day on Monday to get the mammals away from the shoreline before the next low tide at 5:13 p.m. They said late Monday afternoon that they were still successfully being steered away.
“Our team remains in the area to monitor and herd the animals away from shore,” an IFAW spokesperson said. “We know these events can sometimes repeat in the coming hours and days, but we remain hopeful.”
The organization said it had seen an uptick in bottlenose dolphins becoming stranded off Cape Cod in the last few years.
“Bottlenose dolphins are typically an offshore species,” the spokesperson said.
They asked that anyone who encounters a stranded or distressed marine mammal not get close and never drag or push the animal back into the water.
“Similar to a person involved in a car accident, dolphins can become injured and exhausted during a stranding event,” the IFAW said.
Instead, they recommend calling their IFAW stranding hotline at 508-743-9548.
A man has died following an apparent drowning at a pond in Randolph, Massachusetts, on Sunday.
The Randolph police and fire departments received a 911 call at around 4 p.m. for a swimmer in distress in the water on Pond Street, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office..
Firefighters located the man a short time later, officials added, and he was taken by ambulance to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The Kingston Fire Department had said just before 4 p.m. that their dive team was activated for a missing swimmer in Randolph, but that the activation was canceled after the swimmer was located.
Further information is not being released at this time, including the man’s name.
Massachusetts State Police detectives and the Randolph Police Department are investigating.
Firefighters in Lawrence, Massachusetts are working to contain a fire that damaged at least three buildings on Sunday afternoon.
Lawrence Fire Chief Patrick Delaney said they received multiple 911 calls about the buildings on fire at the intersection of Haverhill and Margin Street at about 12:45 p.m.
When firefighters arrived, there were three occupied multi-family buildings with heavy fire.
“Crews did an excellent job once they arrived on scene to make sure we did a primary search of all three buildings, make sure everybody was out,” Chief Delaney said.
No injuries have been reported. It is unclear how many people have been displaced from the three buildings that were on fire.
Chief Delaney said the firefighters were impacted by the hot weather.
“The crews are working extremely hard, they’re taking a lot of heat in all three fire buildings and we’re trying to get crews in here to make sure that they’re safe and give them some relief,” Chief Delaney said.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire. Firefighters from other nearby communities responded for mutual aid.
“We’re at a fourth alarm which brings a lot of resources to our city, but they’re well needed in a fire like this,” Chief Delaney said.
Police are asking residents to avoid the area of Haverhill Street at Margin Street because of the fire.
Lawrence, Massachusetts is a city about 30 miles north of Boston.
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