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Teen and 4-year-old brother killed in Springfield blaze

E-mail|Link|Comments () June 27, 2009 12:38 PM

By Nandini Jayakrishna, Globe Correspondent

A fire this morning on Bay Street in Springfield killed a teenager and his 4-year-old brother and injured several other family members.

Marshall Wood Jr., 17, and Malik Bell, 4, were on the second and first floors, respectively, of their home when the fire started this morning, said Dennis Leger, a spokesman for the Springfield Fire Department.

The fire apparently started in the basement, but the cause is still unknown, Leger said.

Two girls, Jakaria Bell, 9, and Jasayah Bell, 13, suffered facial burns and were taken to a burn center in Boston. Melissa Bell, the mother of all the children, who is likely suffering from smoke inhalation and anxiety, was hospitalized, Leger said.

Firefighters reached the house around 8:20 a.m., and found a police officer and a passerby pounding on the door to awaken the residents, Leger said.

Eleven people live in the house but only 10 were present at the time of the fire, Leger said.

State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said state troopers and local fire officials are investigating the cause of the fire in the single-family wood-frame house.