CHELSEA — Vermont State Police have identified the victims of a June 17 fatal house fire as the home’s residents, Karen Snyder, 71, and Max Quayle, 57.
The investigation into the cause and origin of the fire that broke out just after 3 a.m. last Wednesday is ongoing, according to the police news release.
Investigators found Snyder, the owner of the home where the fire started, and Quayle in the wreckage after extinguishing the blaze at 7 North Common.
The fire also severely damaged a neighboring house to the west, 5 North Common, that Fire Chief Ed Coburn said has not had occupants for years, and caused minor damage to a house to the east, 9 North Common including scorching a wall and cracking some windows.
Both 5 and 7 North Common will likely have to be torn down because they are unsafe, Coburn said, but the final decision will be up to property owners and the town.
Anyone with information that might aid investigators should call VSP’s Royalton Barracks at 802-234-9933 or submit information anonymously online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
