Man Killed in New Bedford Fire Identified

NEW BEDFORD — The man who died in a massive fire in New Bedford's North End on Tuesday has been identified as 59-year-old Manuel Moreira.

The Bristol County District Attorney's office released Moreira's name Wednesday.

Moreira was a resident on the fourth floor of the Royal Crown Lodging rooming house on Acushnet Avenue, which went up in flames on Tuesday afternoon.

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New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger said later Tuesday night that several of the nearly 30 residents of the building were injured in the blaze, some seriously.

On Wednesday, Mayor Jon Mitchell told WBSM's Tim Weisberg that of two people who were unaccounted for overnight, one remains missing.

Residents were reportedly hanging out of windows and some even jumped from upper floors as fire crews arrived to battle the blaze, which spread rapidly.

Mitchell noted at a press conference on Wednesday that community members and local organizations came together to help the more than two dozen people displaced in the fire.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the state fire marshal's office.