Editor’s note: This article by Bob Audette and Kris Radder was published in the Brattleboro Reformer on Oct. 10.
[G]UILFORD — State authorities are investigating a fatal fire on Autumn Hill Road.
The fire was reported around 4:14 a.m. Tuesday, according to Guilford Fire Chief Jared Bristol. According to the Vermont State Police, Timothy White, 52, perished in the fire. His body was taken to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.
The fire appears to have started inside the house and is not considered suspicious at this time, according to Vermont State Police.
Bristol said Assistant Fire Chief Michael Tkaczyk was first at the scene. Upon arrival, Tkaczyk struck a second alarm.
“Because of the area we were in, we requested additional tankers. It is pretty remote with a long driveway,” Bristol said.
The property at 271 Autumn Hill Road is a single-family house with an attached apartment. Both residences were occupied at the time of the fire, with two people in the house and two people in the apartment, according to the state police. The two tenants and one of the residents of the house escaped the blaze. The second resident of the house was found deceased.
According to the New Hampshire/Vermont Region of the American Red Cross, the agency is assisting two adults and a dog who were displaced.
The fire appears to have started inside the house and is not considered suspicious at this time, according to the Vermont State Police.
