MANCHESTER — The tragic, fast-moving fire at 198 Wilson St. that killed a family of four last month was accidental, a report from the Manchester Fire Department and State Fire Marshal’s Office concluded Friday.
“Investigators found no credible evidence to indicate a fire was set to cause physical injury to people, or to damage or destroy the building,” the report said of the June 6 fatal event.
In this inner city neighborhood, the finding of professionals does little to lessen the painful loss particularly after two very young and promising lives were lost. It also won’t erase the skepticism from some residents who remain convinced that drugs were connected to the tragedy.
The report’s official cause was that the fire stemmed from the simple, improper disposal of a cigarette in the couch on the second-floor exterior porch leading to the apartment of Josh Harrison, 33, and his longtime girlfriend, Ailene Moody, 39.
Moody’s two children, Joshua Harrison Jr., 10, and Jay Michael Garon, 8, also perished in the blaze. They were half-brothers.
“The fire originated and smoldered undetected on the second floor exterior porch for approximately an hour and a half before it transitioned from smoldering to flaming,” the report found. “Once this transition occurred, the smoke and fire moved rapidly through the exterior porches and into victim’s apartment making the conditions immediately untenable.”
State Fire Marshal Bill Degnan said the tragedy should be a reminder for all to be careful in disposing cigarettes or any smoking materials.
“Please take time to ensure you have working fire alarms in your house, and that you have and practice a home fire escape plan,” Degnan added.
The cause of all the deaths was smoke inhalation; the parents were pronounced dead at the scene and the two children after their transport to Elliot Hospital.
Nearly two months later, there still remain very visible memories of the family on the block, whether it’s the makeshift memorial of flowers and candles outside the burnt building shell or pictures of the two boys in the window of Believers Christian Outreach at 140 Wilson St.
“You feel so awful because those were good kids and the couple was trying to do right by them,” said Steve Bousquet. “The whole idea that the family was wiped out because of someone else’s ignorance is pretty hard to take.”
Authorities say this report closes the investigation but it is unlikely to end the speculative wonder of neighboring residents left in the fire’s wake.
Chris Genge is co-owner of Industrial Demolition and Metal Recycling, a business that has been in this section of the city for five years.
“All you hear is stories, theories about what happened. I guess what we have today is the official account,” Genge said, speaking outside Pigeon’s Market, a stone’s throw away from the burnt-out building.
After the fire, Bob Duhaime transported some of the displaced residents to a Red Cross shelter and he hasn’t heard whether any of them have found permanent housing. There were seven families living in the structure that also housed two commercial businesses.
“It sucks that a lot of people died after something that should never have happened,” Duhaime said. “I was just trying to pitch in after a pretty bad scene in our neighborhood.”
Friends and teachers will remember the promise both boys showed; Jay Michael loved rap music and memorized difficult lyrics of hip-hop artist Eminem along with the Lighthouse Leadership traits taught in his second-grade class at Wilson School.
Joshua was considered the brightest math student in his fourth-grade class and his teacher said he was above average in reading.
“How do you get over a loss like that, two kids who were going to grow up and maybe really be somebody,” Bousquet said. “A lot goes down in this neighborhood at night but the people living on this street are really tight. We’re still all hurting over this.”
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