Investigators determined that a failure of the chimney and wood burning furnace caused the fire that took the lives of two residents. The Berkshire District Attorney s Office has identified the victims as 75-year-old James Boltrom and 66-year-old Dorene Boltrom. On behalf of our firefighters and the town of Sheffield, I offer our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the victims, Chief Ullrich said. We re all neighbors in this small town. The fire in the log cabin style home started inside the chimney and spread to nearby combustibles. Investigators were able to find several areas where smoke and heat breached the chimney and piping system from the furnace and entered the home. There was a significant amount of wood and kindling next to the wood-burning furnace in the basement.
Sheffield fire that killed 2 deemed accidental
Updated Jan 15, 2021;
SHEFFIELD Fire investigators have determined the fire that took the lives of two people Wednesday was caused by a faulty chimney system.
Two residents in the home at 1715 Hewins St., James Boltrom, 75, and Dorene Boltrom, 66, died as a result of the fire.
Investigators determined a faulty chimney attached to a wood-burning furnace allowed smoke and flames to escape, said Jennifer Mieth, spokesperson for the state Department of Fire Services.
Authorities determined there were no working smoke detectors in the log cabin-style home.
The investigators’ report indicated they found several places where the chimney failed and allowed fire into the structure, including in the basement, where investigators found significant amounts of kindling and firewood near the furnace.
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Flames were spotted at this log home at 1751 Hewins St. in Sheffield, Mass., by neighbors and a passer-by at 5:49 a.m. Wednesday in the Ashley Falls section of town, about equidistant from the Sheffield and Canaan firehouses. Two people died in the blaze. Contributed/M. Dawson-Harvey
SHEFFIELD, Mass. A woman killed in a house fire near the Canaan line Wednesday has been identified as a former Waterbury resident.
The identities of the two people who died is pending, according to a spokesman for the District Attorney’s Office in Berkshire County. A report in The Berkshire Eagle named them as James and Dorene Boltrom.
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