A 57-year-old man that died in Rumford on Friday morning is the state’s fourth fire fatality of the year.
The body of Edward Vitido was found after a fire was reported around 3:53 a.m. at 516 Virgin St. in Rumford, according to Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
The caller who reported the fire said that there were two people in the residence when the fire started. Vitido’s wife, who was not named, was able to escape the residence safely along with two dogs, according to Moss.
The state has already seen three fire deaths this year, after 2021 was reported to be the state’s deadliest for fires in recent history.
On Monday, fires in Sabattus and Hampden claimed two lives, and a 95-year-old woman died in a fire in Chelsea in January.
Last year, 27 people were killed in 23 fires, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
The circumstances of the Rumford fire are under investigation by the state fire marshal’s office, and Vitido’s remains will be examined by the chief medical examiner in Augusta, Moss said.