A man and a woman were killed Saturday in an early morning fire in Orrington.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office said three others escaped the fire at 359 Brewer Lake Road, which was reported about 2:30 a.m.

Shelly Lynn Murphy, 55, was identified as one of the dead. The other was as a middle-aged man, whose relatives were being notified of his death late Saturday afternoon, said Steve McCausland, spokesman for the fire marshal’s office. The man’s name was not immediately released.

The bodies were found in the rubble and will be examined by the state medical examiner’s office in Augusta.

McCausland identified the survivors of the fire as Richard Murphy, 57, Shelly Murphy’s brother; Douglas Davis 34; and Tanya Clapp, 52.

The fire, which destroyed the two-story house in the Penobscot County town, appears to have started in a first-floor bedroom, which was occupied by a man and woman. The fire then spread quickly to the second floor, where three others were sleeping. The bodies of Shelly Murphy and the man who died were found on the second floor.

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A third occupant of the upstairs, a man, escaped by the stairs.

The survivors received minor burns and smoke inhalation, but did not require treatment at a hospital, officials said.

The fire marshal’s office said the fire was discovered by the occupants of the first floor, who alerted the others.

The house had a working smoke detector.

Investigators say the cause of the fire has not been determined.

Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy contributed to this report.

 

 


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