Investigators say a Christmas Eve fire that injured three people in western Massachusetts started in or near a Christmas tree.
Investigators say the fire in Southwick was accidental, but the exact cause is undetermined. Massachusetts Fire Marshall Stephen Coan said it is a reminder that Christmas trees should not stay up too much past New Years Day.
"The longer they stay up the more they dry out and there is more potential to initiate a fire or contribute to the rapid spread of a fire," said Coan.
The Southwick blaze destroyed a multi-family home where nine people lived. A mother broke a basement window and climbed through broken glass to rescue her two-year old son from a smoke filled room.
