WINDSOR — Emergency personnel discovered a deceased 66-year-old man in the basement of a Kennedy Road home following a Saturday structure fire. A female resident escaped unharmed.
On Nov. 7, Windsor Police and Fire were dispatched to 15 Kennedy Road just after 8 a.m. for a report of a basement fire with one person presumed trapped inside, 66-year-old Michael Place.
The second resident’s son, Tyler Riemer, confirmed that his mother, Cynthia Place, is currently staying somewhere else. Riemer, 31, lives in a camper on the property and is still staying there for now, he said Monday outside the home.
While Riemer declined to share details about the Saturday fire, he said that Michael Place “was a good guy.”
When emergency personnel arrived, smoke was coming out of the residence, but the fire was not visible from outside, according to Windsor Fire Department Lt. Trey Whalen.
Police arrived on scene and confirmed that there was someone still in the basement.
“I believe they got that information from somebody on scene,” said Whalen.
When firefighters went inside, it took a few minutes to find access to the basement due to zero visibility from the smoke. Once they got access, officials located the deceased male resident and removed him from the scene.
Firefighters worked to suppress the fire, said Whalen, and got it under control at about 9:15 a.m., with no concern of the fire worsening.
“Ultimately, we were able to contain the fire to the basement,” said Whalen.
Fire personnel continued assisting with the investigation on the scene until about 2:30 p.m., he said.
The female resident escaped without injury, Windsor Police Chief Bill Daniels said Monday.
Daniels said he hopes to receive preliminary findings regarding the death based on an autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Monday or Tuesday.
“If they do a toxicology, we won’t hear back probably for four to six weeks on that,” said Daniels.
Windsor Police are investigating the death, with the Windsor Fire Department and the State Police Fire Investigation Unit looking into the cause and origin of the fire. Both investigations remained ongoing as of Monday.
Police visited the Kennedy Drive home earlier Saturday morning for an unrelated reason in an attempt to make contact with Michael Place, though not due to an emergency or call for assistance.
“We didn’t make any contact with him, the deceased; he didn’t answer the door,” said Daniels, who added that the visit was not due to concern for the resident’s safety.
A Saturday news release by Windsor Police indicated that no foul play is suspected in the death.
West Windsor, Claremont, Hartford, Weathersfield and Cornish fire departments also assisted Windsor Police and Fire at the scene.
