Woodstove blamed in fatal Plymouth fire

PLYMOUTH, Mass. - A woodstove is being blamed for a fire that killed a Plymouth couple.

Police said Wednesday that last week’s fire started when 77-year-old Edward Tavares and his 69-year-old wife, Maria Rosa Tavares, were cleaning or lighting their woodstove.

State Fire Marshal Coan said the home did not have smoke or carbon monoxide alarms.

Firefighters entered through the front and found Maria Tavares near the entrance. She was taken to Jordan Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her husband was found elsewhere in the house and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Last week, 77-year-old Delia Sutcliffe was killed in a separate Plymouth fire. She was pulled from her burning home and airlifted to a Boston hospital. That fire is still under investigation.