A home on Century Lane in Litchfield caught fire early Tuesday morning. The body of homeowner Janet Gee, 62, was pulled from the wreckage after the fire was extinguished.
A home on Century Lane in Litchfield caught fire early Tuesday morning. The body of homeowner Janet Gee, 62, was pulled from the wreckage after the fire was extinguished.
An individual caught inside a burning home in Litchfield on Tuesday morning died as a result of the fire, fire officials said.
In a joint statement released by New Hampshire State Fire Marshal Sean Toomey, Litchfield Fire Chief Doug Nicoll and Litchfield Chief of Police Daniel Jones, the victim’s death was announced Monday afternoon.
Litchfield’s fire and police departments were called to 7 Century Lane at 8:03 a.m. when neighbors saw flames and heavy smoke coming from the single-family home. They told dispatch they didn’t know if anyone was home, Litchfield fire officials said in a statement.
First responders, including Nicoll, arrived within five minutes and quickly realized that one of the occupants, who was later found dead inside the home, was missing.
Firefighters attempted to enter the home to search for the occupant, but couldn’t because of the intense fire conditions and instability of the structure. Once the fire was extinguished, they recovered the body.
The Litchfield Fire Department was assisted by crews from Hudson, Londonderry, Derry, Bedford, Manchester, Merrimack, Nashua and Auburn.
Fire crews were still on scene around 12:30 p.m. Monday afternoon as they worked to clean up the area.
Traffic was rerouted onto nearby Griffin Lane, or directed by crews to turn around and avoid the area.
The identification of the victim and cause and manner of death are being withheld pending an autopsy that was scheduled to take place on Tuesday. The investigation into the cause and origin of the fire remains ongoing by members of the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office with the assistance of the Litchfield fire and police departments.
According to Litchfield town property records, the home was bought by Thomas Gee in 2000. His wife, Janet Gee, was put on the deed in 2015. They are both 62.
More information will be released as it becomes available.
