Woman, nephew die in Haverhill fire

HAVERHILL - A woman and her 6-year-old nephew died last night when they were trapped in a fire that swept through the top floor of their single-family home, fire officials and neighbors said.

Neighbors and the family pastor identified the woman as Mary Pina. The name of her nephew was not known last night. Authorities would not confirm their identities.

A neighbor said that Pina refused to leave the house, despite her family's frantic calls.

"Her husband tried to get her out, but she refused," said the neighbor, Gilligan Monaco. Four others - Pina's husband, brother, and two other children - were at home at the time of the fire, Monaco said, but were able to escape unharmed. The husband told officials that it was an electrical fire and he tried to douse it with water, Monaco said.

Neighbors said the family was close-knit and friendly. They frequently saw the children playing outside with the family's dogs.

"It was a loving family, a churchgoing family," said a relative at the scene who refused to give his name.

The family's pastor, the Rev. Joseph Woodbury of the Portland Street Baptist Church, arrived at the scene to console the family and friends. He said the family was trying to understand the tragedy, and returned to the church with him last night.

"This is a difficult time and we're doing our best to get past this and the emotional shock," he said. The family has been attending the church for six years, he said.

Fire Chief Richard Borden said firefighters who arrived on the scene saw flames shooting out the top floor window. Firefighters ran up the stairs with a hose and were able to contain the blaze to the top floor. They used axes to gain entry to the top floor from outside to ventilate the blaze, which was reported about 9:08.

Borden would not say where the victims were found, or how they died.

A spokeswoman for the American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay said her agency responded to the blaze and was tending to several of the residents. "We're assisting the needs for food, clothing, and temporary shelter for the next night or two," said Amelia Aubourg, a spokeswoman.

The cause of the fire is not known, and State Police assigned to the state fire marshal's office are investigating, Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan said.

Milton J. Valencia of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Jeannie M. Nuss can be reached at jnuss@globe.com and Gabrielle Dunn can be reached at gdunn@globe.com