A man with the Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit of the State Fire Marshall investigated a house fire at 1113 Cabot Road in Marshfield June 21. Photo by Carla Occaso.
A 90-year-old Marshfield man is dead following a house fire Monday, June 20, at 1113 Cabot Road. Detective Sergeant Matthew Hill of the Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit sent out a report that George “Will” Livendale had perished in his residence, probably from smoke caused by a fire that originated in a dryer located in the downstairs bathroom. The fire quickly spread into other areas of the structure, causing damage throughout the home.
The middle of the house, especially, was scorched and the roof fully burnt off. The blackened remains of an old wood stove and mounds of personal belongings in and spilling out of the middle of the house were visible. The windows were burned and broken out. To this observer, it looked to be a total loss.
An old wood stove and lots of burnt debris can be seen following a house fire on 1113 Cabot Road in Marshfield June 20. Photo by Carla Occaso.
There was also evidence of the chaos of multiple fire departments trying to do what they could to save the structure. A black leather glove on the ground. A length of fire hose, and an old fire helmet were left behind on the lawn in the wake of what must have been a grueling experience.
The Vermont fire investigator on the scene when The Bridge arrived on the morning after the incident did not want to speak because he was not the lead investigator.
According to a report issued by Hill, the Marshfield Fire Department was notified of a structure fire on Cabot Road at 11:40 a.m. A passerby noticed smoke coming from the residence and attempted to locate occupants of the home. When firefighters arrived, they saw heavy smoke and flames coming from the center of the structure. They requested mutual aid, and several area fire departments came to help to suppress and extinguish the fire, including units from Woodbury, Danville, Peacham, Hardwick, and Cabot.
At 1:23 p.m. Woodbury Fire Chief Paul Cerutti notified state police the fire involved possible entrapment of the homeowner and requested help from the Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit. At about 2:45 p.m., Livendale, by then deceased, was located within the structure. Members of the Department of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit responded to the scene to locate, document, and remove the victim’s remains. The decedent was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Burlington for an autopsy and identification. The results of the autopsy are pending. Investigators from the FEIU returned to the fire scene on June 21 to conduct an origin and cause examination of the fire scene. Anyone with information about this fire event is asked to contact the Vermont State Police in Berlin at (802) 229-9191.
