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Woman dies, but grandchildren, babysitter survive Whitman fire

E-mail|Link|Comments () May 16, 2009 11:14 AM

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

A 73-year-old Whitman woman died in a two-alarm fire that was stoked by medical oxygen tanks inside her house, but her four grandchildren and a babysitter escaped, fire officials said.

Rescuers were unable to reach Helen Drass, who lived in a two-story home on Newland Drive. Her body was found in a back bedroom on the second floor, Firefighter Rich MacKinnon said, reading from a statement.

Fire Chief Timothy Grenno praised the babysitter’s quick action in getting the four children out of the house and calling 911. Drass's daughter was out of town for the night.

“She’s truly a hero,” Grenno said in the statement. “If she hadn’t made the decision to evacuate the children at once, this would have been a lot worse.”

The babysitter, whom Whitman fire officials did not identify, citing privacy concerns, and a firefighter suffered minor burns and were treated at Brockton Hospital. They were released this morning.

Crews from Hanson, Abington, East Bridgewater, and Brockton helped fight the blaze. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the state fire marshal and the Plymouth district attorney, but it does not appear to be suspicious, officials said.

The fire caused $80,000 in damage to the house. The Red Cross responded to the scene to assist the displaced family.