Pittsfield –– The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Sunday (March 17) identified the three individuals that died a day earlier in a home fire at Lake Onota Village in Pittsfield.
Killed in the Saturday morning (March 16) fire was Austin F. Grzelak, 25, of 20 Larch St., Pittsfield, and Kasper and Sylas Stone, 6-year-old twins who lived in the home at 11 Lakewood Circle, according to Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner transported the deceased to its Boston facility for autopsies, the results of which are pending.
“The Berkshire District Attorney’s Office sends sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who died in this tragic incident,” Harrington said.
The fire started at around 3:40 a.m. Saturday from a candle or smoking material in the master bedroom of the home, according to State Police investigators from the Office of the State Fire Marshal and Pittsfield Fire Department officials, who responded to the scene.
Two residents of the home escaped the flames and survived. One continues to receive medical treatment for non-life threatening injuries at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The fire remains under investigation, but authorities do not consider it suspicious. The home where the fire started sustained heavy damage. The fire also damaged a neighboring residence.
Conducting the investigation into the incident are the Pittsfield Fire Department, the Pittsfield Police Department, members of the State Police assigned to the Office of the State Fire Marshal, and detectives from the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office.
