NEW BEDFORD — The second victim killed in the fatal fire that destroyed a North End rooming house in New Bedford on Tuesday has been identified.

The Bristol County District Attorney's Office named the victim as 63-year-old resident Wayne Bourdon.

Bourdon lived in the Royal Crown Lodging at 1305 Acushnet Avenue before the devastating fire, which is believed to have started accidentally with a microwave or an outlet in one of the rooms.

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Bourdon's body was the second pulled from the wreckage, after authorities found the body of 59-year-old Manuel Moreira later on Tuesday.

The aftermath of the Royal Crown fire as seen on Thursday afternoon, March 30, 2023.
Kate Robinson/Townsquare Media
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Five people were hospitalized and all of the more than two dozen residents of the large boarding house were displaced in the fire.

New Bedford city workers have announced an official fund to support those displaced.

Donations can be made to Rise Up For Homes, the city's official relief fund that was set up by the Homeless Service Providers Network and its non-profit partner, the Inter-Church Council of Greater New Bedford.

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