Investigators Seeks Cause of Deadly N.Y. Fire
Source Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
MORIAH — Two men died in a house fire in Moriah early Saturday.
Stephen A. Welch, 50, lived at the 4818 Route 9N home where the fire was reported via a 911 call at 5:25 a.m.
Also deceased in the blaze was Barry G. Raymond Jr., 28, a resident of Ticonderoga, according to State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Senior Investigator Rick Dumoulin.
Brendan A. Welch, 25, Stephen's son, had driven a friend to Ticonderoga and returned to find the Moriah home in flames.
He had lived there with his father.
And he managed to get Raymond out of the building, according to Essex County Emergency Services Director Donald Jaquish, and was performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him in the yard when firefighters arrived.
"But it was too late," Jaquish said.
ENGULFED
The mobile home was engulfed in flames when the Port Henry Volunteer Fire Department arrived less than 10 minutes after the 911 call, Jaquish said.
"That front porch was open flame."
Raymond, who had been pulled from the burning structure, was pronounced dead at Elizabethtown Community Hospital in Elizabethtown. Stephen A. Welch was declared dead at the fire site by Essex County Coroner Kelly Valentine, Jaquish said.
Brendan, who was uninjured, was taken to ECH for evaluation and was later released.
There were no working smoke detectors in the home, Jaquish said.
COLLECTING EVIDENCE
Mid afternoon, firefighters were helping to tear apart the remains of the mobile home and its additions to give investigators access to the interior of the structure so they could gather evidence.
More than half of the metal roof had been pulled off and lay on the lawn. Yellow crime scene tape cordoned off the property.
The house number remained visible on a charred post near where the front door had been.
State Police investigators worked with a team from Essex County and representatives from the Office of Fire Prevention and Control who drove up from Albany.
“You have to reconstruct the scene," Jaquish said. "We’re very meticulous."
Essex County Sheriff's deputies also responded.
Investigators left fire site by about 4:30 p.m.
AUTOPSIES
Dumoulin said an autopsy was performed on Stephen A. Welch at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, but he didn't release the results on Saturday afternoon.
A postmortem for Raymond is scheduled for today at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake.
'NOT SUSPICIOUS'
The cause of the fire would not be released until State Police have concluded their portion of the investigation, Jaquish said, adding that it is not considered suspicious.
Stephen Welch owned the home, according to the Essex County Real Property website.
Brendan did not request Red Cross assistance, Jaquish said.
It was unknown Saturday whether there was insurance on the property.
Responding to the fire or standing by at participating fire stations were volunteer companies from Port Henry, Moriah, Mineville, Essex County Air 1, Crown Point and Elizabethtown.
Email Felicia Krieg: [email protected]
Twitter: @FeliciaKrieg
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