ELLSWORTH, Maine — A 93-year-old man died Tuesday as a result of a fire at his home at 344 Surry Road.
Fire investigators identified the victim early Tuesday evening as Roice Saunders.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, which was reported by a passer-by about 10:45 a.m., according to Sgt. Scott Richardson of the state fire marshal’s office.
Investigators with the office are expected to return to the home Wednesday to continue efforts to determine the cause.
At about noon, relatives gathered at an antique business next to the scene of the fire that struck the white, two-story clapboard house.
“Most of the family has been notified,” Richardson said early Tuesday afternoon. “They are taking it pretty hard, as you would expect. We’re going to be at the scene here for quite some time.”
Firefighters found Saunders inside the living room on the first floor, according to officials.
Fire damage was confined to that room of the house, according a press release issued Tuesday by Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland.
“The Fire Department did an excellent job and left us a lot to work with,” Richardson said.
At the site Tuesday afternoon, some of the windows were broken and the clapboards above them were charred. A sign over the door displayed the number 1850, which is the year the house was built, according to the city’s property tax assessment database. Charred furniture had been pulled out onto the front lawn.
