One Death Reported In Watertown Apartment Fire

(Watertown) One person died in an apartment fire in Watertown Friday morning. The fire department was dispatched to Watertown East Apartments at 1153 Boughton Street around 3:49am.

Upon arrival, crews found smoke coming from one of the building’s apartment units. Fire Chief Kraig Biefeld says there were reports of a possible victim so his department made entry and started searching, knocking down the blaze as they went. He says firefighters did determine some occupants were able to self-evacuate.

Biefeld says a person was located inside an apartment and was transported to the Watertown hospital where they later succumbed to their injuries.

The fire was contained to the just the single unit. During the incident, eight units were evacuated and gas was turned off until the fire was extinguished. Two neighboring apartments had to have minor smoke removal. All other occupants were able to return to their units. There were no other injuries reported. The damage is estimated to be over $30,000.

Biefeld says the State Fire Marshall has been called to help investigate the fire with support from the Watertown Police Department and Fire Investigator. He says the cause of the blaze is not known at this time. The chief notes that there were no working smoke detectors present in the apartment.