State police employee killed in fire along with 3 family members
Youngest victim was 5 years old
UPDATED 7:45 PM EDT Sep 25, 2016
GREENFIELD, Mass. —Massachusetts State Police are mourning the loss of an employee who died in a fire Sunday along with three members of his family, including a 5-year-old.
Brian Tower, a state police radio technician, died along with his wife, Florenda Tower; her son, Raymond Wood; and Raymond's 5-year-old son, William Paul Clark. State Police said Brian Tower was a civilian employee with 28 years of experience.
The family perished in heavy fire at a single-family home in Greenfield, about 40 miles north of Springfield. Firefighters tried to get inside the home at 140 Meridian Street early Sunday, but found the flames were too intense.
"Brian was a member of our State Police family, and as such, his loved ones were also part of our family. We are mourning the sudden and tragic losses of four members of the MSP family tonight," MSP said in a statement.
State police said Tower was born in Hartford and raised in Franklin County. He joined the state police in 1998, had his most recent promotion in 2007 and spent his entire career at Troop B Headquarters in Northampton.
MSP is offering assistance to Tower's friends and colleagues.
"We thank the firefighters who responded to the incident in an attempt to rescue Brian and his family," state police added.