On November 3, at approximately 8:50 a.m., the Greensboro, Hardwick, Woodbury, Walden, Craftsbury, Wolcott and Sheffield/Wheelock Fire Departments were dispatched to a structure fire at a single-family residence located at 108 Batchelder Road in Stannard. When fire crews arrived, they discovered the structure fully involved in fire. Defensive firefighting actions were taken, and the fire was extinguished.
During Greensboro Fire Chief David Brochu’s assessment of the scene, he learned an occupant was not accounted for and believed to be somewhere within the fire scene. Chief Brochu contacted Department of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit and requested assistance in locating any victims within the structure and to determine the origin and cause of the fire event.
Members of the Department of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit responded to the fire scene and conducted a scene search. A deceased subject was located in a bedroom area on the fist floor. The victim’s remains were sent to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Burlington where an autopsy will determine the manner and cause of death as well as verifying the victim’s identity.
The extensive amount of damage limited the investigators in their ability to determine the origin and cause of the fire event, however the fire does not appear to be the result of a criminal act.
As more information becomes available it will be released to the public.
People with information may also contact the Vermont Arson Tip Award Program at 800-32-ARSON. The Arson Tip Award Program is a separate entity from the state police, and through funding from insurance companies offers a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest in this case.
