Table Of Content
- Berlin Community Mourns Death Of 79-Year-Old Woman Killed In Explosive Fire
- GET LOCAL BREAKING NEWS ALERTS
- Elderly Woman Killed, Daughter Rescued From House Explosion in Berlin
- Judy Christensen ID’d as victim of Berlin home explosion
- Fatal Berlin home explosion caused by propane leak, fire marshal confirms

It was gone, instantly, there was debris all over the road,” Smith said. Smith said he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw what was left of the home completely leveled and on fire. The explosion and fire happened at a home on Pleasant Street in the Worcester County town. Judith “Judy” Christensen, 79, died at the scene, the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office confirmed.
House explodes in Truro, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, sparking massive fire - WCVB Boston
House explodes in Truro, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, sparking massive fire.
Posted: Fri, 21 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Berlin Community Mourns Death Of 79-Year-Old Woman Killed In Explosive Fire
The daughter of the elderly woman who perished in the explosion was extricated from the smoldering debris with the help of neighbors and first responders, McQuillen said. She was transported to a UMass Memorial Medical Center – University Campus in Worcester with non-life-threatening injuries, McQuillen said. NBC10 reported that investigators are looking into whether propane or natural gas could have contributed to the incident. McQuillen told the news outlet that a company recently visited the home to examine an issue with the propane system. Code compliance officers from the Department of Fire Services found that Knight Fuel Company had made several Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code violations. Authorities identified the victim of a Friday morning home explosion in Berlin that killed one mother and sent her daughter to a hospital with injuries.
Berlin house explosion: Police officer, neighbors helped save life - Worcester Telegram
Berlin house explosion: Police officer, neighbors helped save life.
Posted: Fri, 21 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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She was rescued by neighbors, who came running out when they heard the explosion and pulled her from the debris. According to the fire marshal, residents called Knight Fuel Company the day before, when they smelled propane in the backyard near two 100-pound liquid propane cylinders. Fire officials say an employee came out and moved the leaking tank about 20 feet away from the home, but it continued to leak, the gas leaking into the basement through the house's fieldstone foundation. It is not clear what caused the gas to ignite, but it is not considered suspicious. A 79-year-old woman was killed and another woman was rescued during a house explosion and subsequent fire in Berlin, Massachusetts, early Friday morning, according to emergency officials.
Elderly Woman Killed, Daughter Rescued From House Explosion in Berlin
Plante said she grew up wanting to be a police officer, watching the show "Cops," and wanting to be a member of a SWAT team or a canine officer. "Without the actions of these individuals, there is no doubt in my mind that the outcome would not have been as positive for this trapped person," Fire/EMS Chief Michael McQuillen said in a statement after the incident. “It’s a life-saving event that they did, rushing in, they lifted debris. My understanding is there was some type of a roof structure almost covering her and it took a couple of them to lift it up to get it off her,” Berlin Fire Chief Michael McQuillen told NBC Boston.
Judy Christensen ID’d as victim of Berlin home explosion
An excavator was brought to the scene Friday to begin working the main debris pile and figure out a cause behind this explosion. Several other houses on the block also had some superficial damage from the explosion. Judy's daughter, Julie, was also hospitalized from the blast, according to the GoFundMe. She lost all her belongings along with her two cats and dog, the campaign continued.
Investigation underway after elderly woman killed in house explosion in Berlin
The force of the explosion paired with the fire leveled the two-story home. “Without the actions of these individuals, there is no doubt in my mind that the outcome would not have been as positive for this trapped person,” McQuillen said in a statement. Berlin Fire Chief Michael McQuillen and Police Chief Eric Schartner released additional details Thursday about the April 14 blast, which killed 79-year-old Judy Christensen and seriously injured her daughter Jill. Investigators are still searching for a cause of the explosion and resulting fire.

BERLIN – Four days after a 79-year-old woman was killed when her home was leveled early Friday by an explosion, investigators are still searching for the cause of the blast. Lavache’s boyfriend and his father ran over to the house with another neighbor while a Berlin police officer was also just arriving on scene. 79-year-old Judith Christensen was found dead inside the home, and neighbors were able to save another woman inside. The woman was transported to a hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
Deadly Berlin house explosion that killed mother, injured daughter, under investigation
ESSEX, Md. (AP) — An explosion razed a home in suburban Baltimore, officials said, sending one person to the hospital for injuries and requiring aid from dozens of firefighters to douse the flames. The explosion also caused damage to three neighboring homes and two vehicles. It took the Berlin Fire Department about an hour and a half to knock down the flames. A 79-year-old woman was killed and another woman was rescued from the home on Pleasant Street on April 14 after the leaking propane ignited, setting off the explosion and a fire. BERLIN - An elderly woman was killed early Friday after her home was leveled in an explosion that rumbled through the neighborhood.
McQuillen said there was a "large debris field" from the explosion, and materials could be seen hanging from the trees above where the house once stood. He said there was a "large debris field" from the explosion, and materials could be seen hanging from the trees above where the house once stood. The victim was identified Friday afternoon as Judy Christensen, 79. Her daughter, who was not named, was the person pulled from the site.
The investigation is being led by Berlin Fire Department, the Berlin Police Department, Massachusetts State Police assigned to the State Fire Marshal and Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.’s office. As of Wednesday, June 21, the Department of Fire Services had an update on what might have caused the explosion. "Countless men and women in town have used her house as a residence over the past six decades," the page continued. "Hotel Christensen, as it was known, because she was everyone's second mom." The woman "was always the fire person to lend a hand or her home to anyone who needed it," the campaign reads. Anyone who lived in or around Berlin most likely had a great story about Judy Christensen, according to a GoFundMe campaign.
The group was able to move the debris, and Plante and neighbor Bobby Wheeler pulled Jill Christensen out and carried her over live power lines, McQuillen and Schartner said. As the fire grew in intensity, Plante put Christensen over her shoulder and carried her to safety. The woman, who has not been identified, turned 79 on Thursday, neighbors told NBC 10. The daughter who was rescued is in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators say it could be a while before they pinpoint the exact cause. Fire investigators are trying to determine if the home’s propane tank was the problem.
Damage to neighboring homes was limited to minor cosmetic damage. My understanding is there was some type of a roof structure almost covering her and it took a couple of them to lift it up to get it off her,” McQuillen said. The mother, subsequently identified as Judith Christensen, was pronounced dead at the scene. Neighbors were able to rescue her daughter who was trapped under a section of the roof.
A pressure system that let go that caused this fire,” said McQuillen. Friends say she just celebrated a birthday the day before where she told them earlier in the week she was having issues with her propane. Upon arrival, firefighters observed that the 2½-story, single-family home had sustained catastrophic damage, with heavy fire showing.
BERLIN, Mass — A woman is dead and one woman was rescued in a house explosion in Berlin, Friday morning. Her daughter, the woman who was rescued, remained hospitalized, they said. BERLIN, MA — A woman died and a second woman was injured in a house explosion early Friday morning in Berlin.