Boston man dies after leaping from burning building; 1 other also killed

A Boston man died after leaping from a burning building, one of two fatalities in a blaze firefighters blamed on "careless disposal of smoking material."

Fire officials rescued several people from the five-story building, including at least one child. The man who jumped was transported to a hospital where he died, fire officials said on Twitter. Another body was found in the building.

The fatalities were the first fire deaths in Boston this year, the fire department said. About 12 people have been left homeless by the blaze, the department said, adding that the Red Cross and officials from the mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services were on the scene.

"Investigators have determined cause of the fatal 3 alarm ... fire to be the careless disposal of smoking material in a 2nd floor bedroom," the department tweeted. "Damage estimated at $1.5 million dollars."

Boston Fire Deputy Chief Michael Ruggere said firefighters rescued one person out a window, two adults and a child using ladders, and that others were rescued via stairs.

"There was a lot going on all around the building," he told reporters at the scene.

Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald told the Boston Herald the fire apparently started in a bedroom.

"It's unfortunate and it's very, very tragic, especially in the holiday season," MacDonald said. "It's just tragic."

The fire department said a joint investigation would be conducted involving its own investigators, the city homicide unit and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.