TYNGSBOROUGH — The fire that claimed one person’s life and injured another was accidental and started with an immersion water heater, which ignited combustible items nearby, said Tyngsborough Fire Chief Wes Russell, Tyngsborough Police Chief Richard D. Howe, State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey, and Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan.
The Middlesex District Attorney’s office identified the victim as 30-year-old Jessica Clements.
“On behalf of Tyngsborough’s first responders, we want to express our condolences to the victim’s loved ones,” said Chief Russell and Chief Howe. “This was a tragedy for the family and for the Tyngsborough community.”
In response to the family’s loss, the Town of Tyngsborough, along with the Fire and Police Departments, partnered with Karyn Puleo, a former chairwoman of the Select Board, to launch an effort to support the family and help them recover. First responders worked with the family to identify a list of specific items the family needs, and dozens of Tyngsborough residents pitched in to collect items ranging from gift cards to men’s and women’s clothing for the family.
Most of the items needed by the family have been donated already, but the support effort could still use about two dozen gift cards to help the family with immediate necessities. To learn more about efforts to assist the family or to contribute, click here.
The origin and cause of the fire were jointly investigated by the Tyngsborough fire and police departments, the State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office, and State Police detectives assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s office. They were assisted by the Code Compliance & Enforcement Unit of the State Fire Marshal’s office.
The fire departments of Dracut, Dunstable, and Nashua, N.H., provided mutual aid at the scene, while the Chelmsford and Westford fire departments provided station coverage. Lowell General Hospital paramedics, Trinity EMS, and the American Red Cross responded to assist. The Department of Fire Services deployed Rehab 7, a specialized apparatus to support first responders in the bitter cold.