New Bedford police say three officers forced doors to get a family of four out of the Halloween fire on Adams Street

NEW BEDFORD Three New Bedford police officers went into a burning apartment building on Adams Street on Halloween night, forced open doors and got a family of four and a third floor resident out before firefighters arrived, the New Bedford Police Department said Tuesday in a post recognizing them.

Officers were sent to the multiunit building around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, for a report of an active fire, according to the department, which told South Coast 360 on Tuesday that the building is 17 Adams St. Sgt. Daniel Duclos got there first, went inside and started checking apartments to make sure people had gotten out. On the third floor he forced open a door, found a resident still inside and told the person to leave, police said.

Det. Jacob Rebello arrived and helped take that door off so the resident could get out, the department said. Det. Mackenzie Sylvester joined Duclos in forcing their way into a first floor apartment, where a family of four was still inside.

Back in for a dog

After the apartments were cleared, Rebello learned a dog might still be in the building, and he and Sylvester went back in to look for it, according to the department. Heavy smoke made it unsafe to keep searching, police said, and the three officers kept working through the smoke until the New Bedford Fire Department arrived. The dog was found safe, Holly Huntoon, the department's public information officer, told South Coast 360 on Tuesday.

All of the residents and their pets were accounted for in the end, the department said. Duclos and Sylvester were checked by medics at the scene for possible smoke inhalation, neither needed to be taken to the hospital, and all three officers left the scene safely.

The fire

Firefighters found an active fire in a second floor bedroom and Engine 7 brought it under control with a single hose line while other crews searched the building, WJAR NBC 10 reported on Nov. 1, quoting the New Bedford Fire Department. The station reported that 11 residents were displaced, the American Red Cross was helping them, no injuries were reported and the cause was under investigation.

What the department said

The department called the fire another example of the teamwork between police, the New Bedford Fire Department and New Bedford EMS, and said it commends Duclos, Rebello and Sylvester for their quick response and dedication. It also recognized the Fire Department and EMS for their response and continued partnership. The post includes a three minute video of body camera footage with audio from the 911 call that night.

What we know

• When: Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, around 7:30 p.m., according to police.
• Where: a multiunit residential building at 17 Adams St. in New Bedford, according to police.
• Who got out: a family of four from a first floor apartment and a resident from the third floor, with officers forcing both doors, according to police.
• Injuries: two officers were checked for possible smoke inhalation at the scene and were not taken to the hospital, according to police.

South Coast 360 will add the Fire Department's finding on the cause when it is released.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.