One person has died in a house fire in New Hampshire, the state fire marshal said late Monday night.
The fatal fire happened at 203 Pease Road in Meredith at approximately 4 p.m. Monday, State Fire Marshal Sean Toomey said in a statement.
Late Monday afternoon, the fire department received reports that there were two people trapped inside the home.
When firefighters arrived, they found “significant fire and smoke” coming from the second story of the single-family home, Toomey said.
Once inside, firefighters found a person dead in the home, he said. The person was not immediately identified pending an autopsy on Tuesday to determine cause and manner of death.
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Two other residents were able to evacuate from the home safely.
Several other area fire departments assisted from communities including Laconia, Gilford, Moultonborough, Holderness, Bristol, Center Harbor, New Hampton and Ashland. Police from Meredith and Laconia also responded.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is active and ongoing by the State Fire Marshal’s Office and Meredith Police and Fire.
Anyone with information about the deadly fire is encouraged to contact the State Fire Marshal’s Office at 603-223-4289 or by email at fmo@dos.nh.gov.
Toomey reminds everyone of the importance of having working smoke alarms in their homes.
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In the event of an alarm activation or visible smoke or fire, residents should immediately get out of their home and call 911.
“Keep exits clear and accessible at all times and have a home fire escape plan,” Toomey said.
Anyone with questions about home fire safety should contact their local fire department or the NH State Fire Marshal’s Office, he said.
Meredith is a small town in the Lakes Region, north of Weirs Beach. The town’s population was 6,662 at the 2020 census.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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WILTON, N.H. (WHDH) – A woman died in a Wilton, New Hampshire, house fire Wednesday morning, according to the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office.
At 9:08 a.m., Wilton firefighters responded to Burns Hill Road after a caller said their home was filling up with smoke. When they arrived, a single-family home was on fire and they found out two people were still inside on the second floor.
A man and a woman were both taken out of the house by firefighters and taken to Elliott Hospital. The woman was pronounced dead and the man is in serious condition.
Officials have not released the name of the victim at this time.
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At this time, investigators are looking into the cause of the fire and are trying to determine if a power outage in the area played a factor. The fire is not currently considered suspicious.
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Diane Durgin, 67, is accused of shooting at a Black man who inadvertently drove to her property after a prearranged truck part sale, prosecutors said.
A New Hampshire woman is accused of violating the state’s Civil Rights Act four times after she allegedly shot at a man because he was Black, prosecutors said.
Diane Durgin, 67, of Weare, N.H. could face up to a $5,000 fine for each violation she is found to have committed, the office of New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a press release Tuesday.
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Durgin is also charged with criminal threatening against a person with a deadly weapon and attempted first degree assault with a deadly weapon, Michael Garrity, a media representative for the New Hampshire Attorney General, said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.
Durgin had a final pre-trial conference last week, Garrity said.
In a civil complaint filed Tuesday, Durgin is accused of threatening physical force against the victim, the AG said. Prosecutors asked the court to issue a preliminary injunction barring Durgin from repeating her alleged behavior and from contacting the victim and his family.
During the morning hours of Oct. 20, 2024, the victim claims, he “mistakenly” drove to Durgin’s home after a prearranged purchase of a truck part with a seller online, prosecutors wrote as part of their request for an injunction.
When the man — whom prosecutors identified in court documents as X.G. — arrived, Durgin allegedly stepped out of her home and approached his car with a gun “holstered by her waist,” prosecutors wrote.
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Upon noticing that X.G. was Black, Durgin allegedly “removed her gun and pointed it at X.G.,” prosecutors said in the injunction request.
While X.G. explained that he was lost, Durgin called the victim a “Black mother[expletive],” and threatened to “kill him,” prosecutors allege.
As the victim attempted to drive away, Durgin allegedly took her gun and fired two shots at the fleeing man’s car, missing both times, the AG’s office said.
While on the phone with a dispatcher, Durgin allegedly said she shot the man’s car because the victim is Black, the AG said.
“The guy is Black. And he, he…he says he’s meeting someone here and I think he’s coming here to steal,” Durgin allegedly said.
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Police located X.G. and brought him to the Weare Police Department, stopping along the way at the correct seller’s home to complete the truck part purchase, prosecutors wrote in court documents.
To prove a violation of the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act, the AG must show that Durgin “interfered or attempted to interfere with the rights of the victim to engage in lawful activities by threatening to engage in or actually engage in physical force or violence, when such actual or threatening conduct was motivated by race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or disability,” prosecutors said.
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