Blaze seriously injures elderly man, leaves residents homeless

“They made a good stop of the fire”

An elderly man was seriously injured when a fire broke out in an apartment complex building at 131 White St. via Sentinel & Enterprise

[BUCK]

My mother lived in that building. I thank God more people weren't hurt or killed. My mom got out with just the clothes on her back... and one pair of underwear.

[Lunenburg Resident]

Why would the paper quote a resident saying it took 20 minutes for the fire department to respond to the fire without confirming with the fire dept? You could have easily gotten the exact time the call came in, the exact time the trucks left the station and the exact time the trucks arrived at the fire. I don't know how long it took but I doubt it was 20 minutes. To that man, it obviously felt that long because his home was burning down.

This is too much like the recent story of the carbon monoxide poisoning where you had all the adults leaving the small boys behind while they went for help. You should have gotten the facts before printing that misinformation.

Even if you print factual information at a later date, people will remember the first comment that said it took 20 minutes for anyone to arrive at the fire.

[Wait til next year too]

That's what we get for reading the Sentinel & Enterprise. If you read the story in the Telegram & Gazette you would think it was another fire. The S & E couldn't even bother to follow up and realize like all the TV stations AND the T & G already knew...the man, who was NOT elderly, by the way, unfortunately died. Over and over, the facts are not corroborated and the newspaper rushes the story to print, no matter what it is, without checking to be sure it is right. The free papers, like the Pride and Champion, do a better job at reporting! I don't miss my canceled subscription at all. At least when I check here to see if there is anything reported about a situation, event or issue, it doesn't cost me anything, and if it did, I wouldn't do it. Let's Go Green in earnest and cancel ALL subscriptions. We would save a lot of trash!

[LTandV]

It's time to tear this complex down and build a brand new one that doesn't have rickety wooden fire escapes like the ones I saw in the photo. I can't believe this is considered appropriate elderly housing, especially with no sprinkler system.

Lunenburg needs a higher percentage of low income housing to keep out the 40Bs. The loss of this housing complex is going to have serious repercussions beyond this tragic death and the displacement of the residents. I hope the insurance on the complex will pay for an appropriate replacement. Hopefully a new complex with be able to house even more people and have better handicapped access.

[Angry in Lunenburg]

We heard the explosion from our home, and within seconds we immediately saw the black smoke rising above the treetops. Within AT THE MOST 5 minutes the fire trucks were racing past our home down Mass Ave, and we are only one minute from this housing complex. So for the S & E to report it took OVER 20 MINUTES for the fire dept to get there is ludicrous. Way to make our hard working public service personnel look bad S&E.

[His brother-Tim]

My brother, Jeffrey Graydon Phillips, was the victim in this fire. I am sorry to all who lost their homes and valuables. It seems so cold to read stories about your brother as "the man" and "an elderly man."
From the accounts that I read, it looks like Jeff would probably not have survived the incident even if the fire department was on the scene the moment of the explosion. One's lungs and body can only take so much.
If you know Roberta, please thank her for doing what she did to try to save him...I have no way of contacting her. Also, thank you to all of the firefighters, emergency workers, and police. You take your lifes in your hands to save others and to save their possessions. What you did allowed us to know that Jeff died. A police detective came on the scene on Sunday morning and found some of his personal papers that survived the blast and fire. I understand he was able to locate my father through Jeff's birth certificate, so Dad was notified by his local police.
I don't know what to say except thank you to all, I'm sorry for a stupid mistake(smoking while on oxygen), and I miss Jeff.
Tim (NJ)

[Mark Peter Phillips]

I read the first article after my father called me. All I could think of is that Jeff was probably 'in a haze' or sadly, had been drinking.. all I could think of was the shows CSI and Miami CSI, where they show the 're-enactment' of what happens when things like this.. ie: lighting a cigarette and the O2 explodes.. and the fire shoots into his lungs and immediately fry's them"... I am very saddened by our loss.. by all of the other families losses and by the whole scenario. Jeffrey spent many years in the Air Force, as a Fuel's Specialist.. with his health deteriorated from smoking all these years.. and other maladies he had as well..it must have been a momentary loss of memory.. lighting the cigarette.. fire and O2 causes explosions!!! DUH! anyway.. that said.. I love my brother(s).. but still suffer with his loss, and the loss of the facility and the other residents losses as well. I know Roberta as a very special woman who's spent years with Jeffrey. I have nothing to say of her except my heartfelt thanks.. and sharing of love. She is and was a veyr special person and will always hold a special place in my heart for what she was to Jeff and to us as family members. Thank God she got him out of there.. even knowing he was dying as she did it. Thank you all as well. I mean no malice towards anyone here. My heartfelt thanks to all who put their own lives in jeopardy for helping out here... the police, the fire specialists and the citizens.
My thoughts are also with the family members of those whose lives were totally displaced as well. I do honor them all as well. Still.. just the thought of 'No sprinkler system' in an assisted living facility is grounds for a number of investigations, no matter who caused it, or what happened.. no matter how stupid the cause.
Mark P. Phillips
[e-mail]
I thank all who helped in any way shape or form.

[Matt Conley NYC]

Roberta Tower is my aunt. She has relocated nearby. We will forward your comments to her. You have our condolances.

Matt Conley

His brother-Tim wrote:

My brother, Jeffrey Graydon Phillips, was the victim in this fire. I am sorry to all who lost their homes and valuables. It seems so cold to read stories about your brother as "the man" and "an elderly man."
From the accounts that I read, it looks like Jeff would probably not have survived the incident even if the fire department was on the scene the moment of the explosion. One's lungs and body can only take so much.
If you know Roberta, please thank her for doing what she did to try to save him...I have no way of contacting her. Also, thank you to all of the firefighters, emergency workers, and police. You take your lifes in your hands to save others and to save their possessions. What you did allowed us to know that Jeff died. A police detective came on the scene on Sunday morning and found some of his personal papers that survived the blast and fire. I understand he was able to locate my father through Jeff's birth certificate, so Dad was notified by his local police.
I don't know what to say except thank you to all, I'm sorry for a stupid mistake(smoking while on oxygen), and I miss Jeff.
Tim (NJ)