#MIDDLEBURY #MVFD #POLICE
The Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department fights a fire at 165 Whittemore Road Dec. 27. (Marjorie Needham photo)
Middlebury Police Chief Fran Dabbo reports the Dec. 27 house fire at 165 Whittemore Road in Middlebury claimed the life of William Harrison, who was in his sixties. Middlebury Police and Fire Departments were dispatched after a public works employee who was driving by noticed the house fire and called it in about 2:20 p.m. When emergency services arrived, smoke and fire were coming out of the windows and roof.
Despite the heavy smoke, Middlebury Fire personnel were able to quickly enter the home through a second-floor window. Shortly afterwards, they discovered Harrison’s body on the first floor.
The victim’s body was removed and transported to the medical examiner’s office for autopsy. The medical examiner later ruled smoke inhalation was the cause of death, and the death was accidental.
The duplex home was heavily damaged. The American Red Cross responded to provide shelter for the next-door residents, Anna Weber, her husband, and two grandchildren, ages 15 and 17, who were displaced.
The State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the blaze.
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