E. Boston house fire kills man, woman

Firefighters responded about 2:40 a.m. to a report of a fire at 64 Gove St., a flat-roofed three-decker where at least 13 people, including two children, lived, said department spokesman Steve MacDonald.

When firefighters arrived, heavy smoke was coming out of the front of the building and flames were emerging from a rear window.

Firefighters found a woman on the third floor in cardiac arrest. They carried her out of the building through a rear fire escape and she was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where she died later yesterday morning, MacDonald said.

Firefighters then discovered the body of a severely burned man on the first floor.

Two men from the upper floors of the house brought out with severe burns and smoke inhalation were taken to area hospi tals. A fifth victim was treated for minor injuries at an area hospital, MacDonald said.

Fire Captain Carlos Neives, 45, from Ladder 21, one of the first firefighters inside the rear of the building, found the woman but he said the flames and heat were so intense they initially kept him from entering.

“As we were making our way to the rear, there was a young gentleman screaming out that his sister was trapped on the third floor,’’ Neives said. Neives and his search and rescue crew had to wait while an engine company with a hose line made its way up the rickety fire escape to knock down some of the fire before they could get inside.

“Once we made our way through the window, we started searching the room. I found the young lady, probably 3 to 5 feet from the window,’’ Neives said. “We took some debris off her body, picked her up, and transferred her to another company waiting on the fire escape.’’

Neives injured his shoulder during the rescue and was taken to Mass. General, where he was put in a room just steps away from the woman he had carried out of the fire.

“I was a few rooms over, and they would come and give me updates,’’ he said. “It sounded good for a while, but we found out later that she passed.

“It’s a little disheartening when you try so hard,’’ he said. “We did the best we could do.’’

Fire officials did not release victims’ names and ages, and said they were investigating a cause of the fire.

The house has had six Inspectional Services Division violations in the past four years. In October 2006 and April 2008, the landlord was cited for improper storage and disposal of trash. In one case, neighbors complained that five mattresses and 15 bags of trash littered the sidewalk around the house.

In April 2007 and again in September 2008, the division cited the landlord because the house was “leaning dangerously to the left,’’ onto a neighboring house.

Also in September 2008, the division cited the landlord, saying construction was being done without a permit and there was unsafe scaffolding.

The house is owned by Ralph Ciruolo, 49, whose family — particularly his brother, David, 50, and father, Gino, 76 — owns several properties in the area.

Ralph Ciruolo was at the scene yesterday, but fled in his car when reporters approached. David Ciruolo said the house had been inspected by their insurance company as recently as Thursday or Friday, and that there were no problems.

On a porch nearby, Gino Ciruolo said the house had been renovated about 15 years ago.

“Nothing was wrong. The building was all right. It was brand new inside,’’ he said. “I feel so bad. But what can you do? I feel very, very, very bad, but what else can you do?’’

The Red Cross was assisting those displaced.

MacDonald said there were smoke detectors inside the house, but he was unsure if they were in working order. Neives said he did not hear any fire alarms or detectors sounding when he arrived.

The fire broke out in a dense residential neighborhood. The house stands about a foot away from a neighboring three-decker, but no other homes were damaged.

The blaze was the first fatal fire in Boston since December 2008.

Globe correspondent Michael Corcoran contributed to this report. John M. Guilfoil can be reached at jguilfoil@globe.com.