The roof lay caved in, the windows shattered and the smell of smoke hung in the air on Tuesday morning at a home in Deerfield where a fire killed a woman and two dogs the night before.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has confirmed the woman’s identity as Barbara Sears, who property records show owned the home built in 1757.
A little before 9 p.m. on Monday, the Deerfield Fire Department responded to reports of a blaze at the two- and-a-half story colonial home at 201 Nottingham Road.
A neighbor had reported hearing “explosions” before seeing intense flames erupt from the home, the New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office said in a press release.
When the first firefighters arrived, they saw heavy flames engulfing the left side and rear of the house. While they worked to extinguish the fire, they were informed that an adult woman lived inside the home.
Despite searching, they were unable to locate her as the fire intensified.
A second alarm brought mutual aid from 17 neighboring towns, including Pembroke, Allenstown and Northwood.
Firefighters battled the flames for more than five hours, leaving much of the interior charred and blackened, before finally bringing it under control at 2:26 a.m.
After the fire was extinguished, investigators with the fire marshal’s office searched the debris and discovered the body of an adult female on the porch, later confirmed to be Sears.
Two dogs were also found deceased.
Sears’ cause and manner of death have not yet been released.
No other residents or emergency personnel were injured during the fire. Authorities say they continue to investigate the origin and cause of the blaze.
