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Calls came in at roughly 4:16 a.m. for a three alarm structure fire at the address of 91 Orchard Street in the Town of Pittsfield.
Initial fire departments arrived to the first floor of the three family apartment building being engulfed in flames with heavy smoke throughout the house.
All three apartments were occupied during the time of the fire. The four residents occupying the apartments above the first floor apartment were able to evacuate safely and with no injuries.
However, the inhabitant of the first floor apartment, 59-year-old Claudette Roberts, was unable to make it out of her apartment and died as a result of the fire. Her body was found inside on the floor of her apartment when fire crews arrived.
The home suffered from heavy heat and smoke damage but has not been declared a total loss at this time. Conversely, residents occupying the second floor apartment have been temporarily displaced from their home.
On Monday, investigators have determined the fire was accidental in nature and was most likely caused by the improper disposal of smoking materials in Roberts' apartment.
Roberts will be transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Boston where an autopsy will be performed on Monday.
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