Woman, 90, dies in Middleborough fire likely caused by smoking materials

""On behalf of the Middleborough Fire Department, I again want to express our heartfelt condolences to Ms. Tichelaar's loved ones," said Thompson. "I also want to remind all our residents that smoking is the leading cause of fatal fires in Massachusetts. Please, if you smoke or have guests who do, always use a heavy ashtray with water or sand and put it out, all the way, every time.""

""heavy fire conditions""

At about 2:50 a.m., first responders arrived at 72 Everett St. and encountered heavy fire conditions in the two-story home. Three occupants exited before firefighters arrived, but a 90-year-old woman on the first floor could not escape and was pronounced dead; she was later identified as Anne Tichelaar. Massachusetts State Police fire investigators determined the fire began accidentally with smoking materials in the first-floor living room. Officials found there were no working smoke alarms in the home. Fire officials expressed condolences and urged residents to use heavy ashtrays with water or sand and to fully extinguish smoking materials. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine exact cause and manner. The incident was the third fatal fire in Middleborough in two years.

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