WARE — A man is dead following a Friday night fire, determined to be accidental by investigators, that began in the basement of a dwelling at 402 Palmer Road.
The deceased man is believed to be a resident of the home. His identity will be released by the Northwestern district attorney’s office after the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has made a formal identification.
The fire was reported at 7:20 p.m. Firefighters’ attempts to resuscitate the victim were not successful.
State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey, Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan, Ware Interim Fire Chief Christopher Gagnon and Ware Police Chief Sean Crevier announced that the cause of the fire was accidental.
Investigators determined that the fire started in the basement of the one-story, one-family home, but was not caused by the electrical system. Smoking and candle use could have started the fire, but there is no evidence that the fire was started intentionally.
“On behalf of the fire department and the town of Ware, I offer our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends,” Gagnon said in a statement.
Firefighters first on scene also didn’t hear smoke alarms sounding, and Department of Fire Services code compliance officers could not determine if the two smoke alarms found in the home were functional. Both alarms were more than a decade old.
