quincy

Woman Dies in House Fire in Quincy

The two-alarm blaze on Edwin Street remains under investigation

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A woman died early Tuesday morning in a house fire in Quincy, Massachusetts, fire officials said.

Firefighters responded to a call around 5:30 a.m. for a person trapped in home on Edwin Street.

When crews arrived, 64-year-old Marie Gardner had died as a result of the blaze, fire officials said.

"Unfortunately we did have one victim succumb during this fire. We did an all hands rescue and confirmed it was only one person in the building," Deputy Fire Chief Gary Smyth said.

No other injuries were reported.

The house suffered damage estimated between $75,000 and $100,000, fire officials told the Patriot Ledger.

"We were able to knock down the fire -- keep it to the entire first floor. The house did suffer major damage," Smyth said.

Neighbor Dick Lavery said he has lived on the block for decades and Gardner was very well liked.

"She was a very nice lady. She always said hello. I don't know anyone who doesn't like her -- I mean she was that nice of a person," Lavery said.

Weeks before Thanksgiving, Lavery said he feels for Gardner's family.

"With the holidays coming up, you know this isn't something you would want to wish on anyone. "It's not really a good time of year to have this happen but especially around the holidays," Lavery said.

While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, Quincy police said the blaze appeared to have started in the home's kitchen.

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