Fire officials surprised by gift from dead woman’s estate

BILLERICA, Mass. (AP) - A Massachusetts fire department has been surprised with a $146,000 donation by the estate of a woman who died nearly 20 years ago.

Sylvia Cabral, of Billerica, left half her estate to the Billerica Fire Department, which received the gift last month.

Fire Chief Robert Cole says the money will go toward thermal imaging cameras that can be incorporated into firefighter masks. The department currently relies on hand-held cameras.

Cole told The Boston Globe that Cabral’s will indicated she wanted the department to buy infrared cameras or goggles.

Officials believe the death of six firefighters in a 1999 Worcester warehouse fire may have inspired Cabral’s donation.

Cabral died in 2000 but her assets could not be dispersed until after the death of her friend, who passed away last year.