A 21-year-old woman killed va a raging house fire in Needham, Massachusetts, on Christmas Day, she was identified as Kayla Corrigan, a college student scheduled to graduate next year.
Corrigan studied marketing management at Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management and was on track to graduate this spring, according to a university official.
Senior Vice President and Chief Student Experience Officer Allen W. Groves announced Corrigan’s death in letter published on the university’s website on Friday.
- Read more: At a burned-out house in Needham, the scale of Wednesday’s tragic fire is coming into focus
“Kayla immersed herself in internships and strengthened her understanding of marketing decisions in an evolving global environment. Outside of the classroom, she was an active member of Sigma Delta Tau,” Groves wrote.
Corrigan graduated from Newton Country Day School in 2022 her LinkedIn pageand a photograph showing several young women holding their diplomas was published her Instagram account on June 12, 2022 with the school marked as the venue.
ON GoFundMe started by Amy Lund of Millis with Christa Corrigan and benefiting Alyssa Corrigan. Kayla Corrigan as a person who died in a house fire.
“Words cannot express the depth of our grief or shock at this loss,” the page reads. “Kayla was a beautiful 21-year-old who was deeply loved by many. Her absence has left a void that can never be filled. We will always carry her memory with us.”
Photo by Kayla Corrigan used on the GoFundMe page also appears on her Instagram account, posted in May with the caption “Besos para Barcelonađź’‹” or “Kisses for Barcelona.”
Corrigan’s LinkedIn page says she was the fundraising coordinator for her sorority for the 2023-24 school year and that she helped raise more than $12,000 for a Syracuse nonprofit that provides emergency housing and resources for victims of domestic violence.
The page also says that last summer she interned at va a public relations and communications company in Boston.
What happened on Christmas Day
Firefighters responded to 28 Woodworth Road just before 5am on Wednesday, December 24, arriving as smoke and flames poured from the three-storey house. according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office. First responders tried to force their way into the home but were turned back as flames quickly spread through the building.
Two other adults who were in the home escaped. Corrigan was later found dead inside.
“It’s a heartbreaking event for them and for the community,” Needham Fire Chief Thomas Conroy said Wednesday as he offered his condolences.
State officials said Friday that the fire appeared to have started in the garage and was accidental.
The fire is still under investigation, but preliminary evidence indicated its cause was “not suspicious,” the fire department said.
How to help
The GoFundMe page says donations from the fundraiser will help cover funeral and temporary living expenses for the Corrigan family. The fundraising goal is $150,000 and more than $146,000 had been raised by Sunday morning. About 1,900 people have contributed so far.
Fighting fire
Seventy-five firefighters from departments across the region battled for seven hours Wednesday morning to bring flames under control at a Needham home, the office of State Fire Marshal John M. Davin said.
Firefighters from Boston, Brookline, Dedham, Natick, Newton, Norwood, Milton, Wellesley and Westwood provided mutual aid during the four-alarm response.
The six-bedroom, 6,500-square-foot home was built in 2014. It is valued at $2.5 million, according to city property records.
On Christmas morning, a Needham police cruiser was parked outside the house as yellow police tape fluttered in the wind around the lawn.
The flames scorched the wood and stone structure and left a wide hole visible from the road on the right side of the roof. Some of the windows were broken and the open front door gave a clear view through the darkened first floor and into the tree-lined garden.
Christmas wreaths hung above the entrance and on both sides of the front door. Strings of Christmas lights lined the edge of the roof, some of them torn and hanging from the house.
Burned shells from two cars were just outside the garage to the right of the house.
A search of the scene, interviews with witnesses and other evidence led investigators to believe the fire started in the back of an adjacent garage. Investigators have identified several heat sources that may have contributed to the fire, all of which would be accidental, Davine’s office said.
“Our thoughts have been with the family since the early morning hours of December 24th and remain with the family today,” Conroy, Needham’s fire chief, added Friday. “I want to acknowledge the outpouring of sympathy from the people of Needham who are sending their love and support.”
Fires like this are more common in the winter, Davine said Wednesday.
“Please make sure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on every floor of your home and a rehearsed emergency escape plan,” he said.
Nicole Simmons contributed to this report.
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