The agencies investigating the cause of a house fire in Portland that killed one person and burned another said Thursday night that they have not yet conclusively identified the victim.
The fire at 107 Broadway in Portland, which was reported around 8 a.m. Wednesday, killed the unidentified person and injured a woman who was able to escape from the burning building. Firefighters found her on the home’s front lawn.
An initial search of the building was called off because of heavy smoke and flames, and all firefighters were ordered out of the building. It took about 20 minutes to bring the fire under control, Portland Fire Chief Keith Gautreau said. The body was found on the first floor during a secondary search after the fire was mostly knocked down, the chief said.
An autopsy was conducted, but more work must be done before a positive identification can be made, said Maj. Robert Martin of the Portland Police Department in an email Thursday. Martin said that may include a forensic dental exam.
“I don’t think it (identification of the victim) will be anytime soon,” Martin said. “We can’t release the identity of the deceased until we can confirm the identity beyond our speculation.”
Martin said the injured woman was in a stable condition Thursday at a local hospital.
In the meantime, investigators from the Portland Fire Department, Portland police and the State Fire Marshal’s Office continue to investigate, said Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Fire Marshals’ Office.
Investigators spent most of Wednesday and part of Thursday at the fire scene.
There was minor exterior damage to a home next door, where plastic siding had melted. A detached garage close to the building that burned also was damaged.
When firefighters arrived at the home Wednesday morning, they encountered heavy fire and smoke coming from the first floor. Broadway is off Forest Avenue, in the Riverton neighborhood.
“The conditions were so bad, the incident commander had gone to defensive operations, which means we pulled everyone out of the building, we got all of our first responders accounted for, and then we went back in finally and did a secondary search,” Gautreau told the Press Herald, “So (it took) a little bit longer than it normally would, but it was for our safety and it was the right call.”
Copy the Story LinkComments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
