READSBORO, Vt. -- Authorities are investigating a fatal fire that occurred early Friday morning on Grinka Farm Drive. 

 

The body of a female occupant of the residence at 78 Grinka was found inside the burned building. The individual's identity has not yet been released. 

 

The Fire Department responded to the report of a structure fire at about 3 a.m. on Friday and found the single-family home fully involved. Firefighters brought the blaze under control with assistance from other departments including Stamford. 

 

According to the report by State Police Det. Sgt. Matthew Hill, Fire Chief Adam Codogni had learned a female occupant was not accounted for and was believed to be somewhere within the fire scene. 

 

Codogni contacted Department of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit and requested assistance in locating any victims within the structure and to determine the origin and cause of the fire event. 

 

Members of the Department of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit responded to the fire scene and conducted a scene search. This search was supported by Urban Search and Rescue. A deceased female was located in the kitchen near the main entrance to the home.  

 

The victim's remains were sent to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Burlington, where an autopsy will determine the manner and cause of death examination as well as verifying the victim's identity. 

 

The extensive amount of damage limited the investigators in their ability to determine the origin and cause of the fire event, however the fire does not appear to be the result of a criminal act, wrote Hill, a member of the Fire and Explosions Investigations Unit. The homeowner, who was not at home at the time of the fire, will be assisted by his family and the Red Cross.

 

The home is valued at approximately $150,000 with an additional $20,000 in contents and was not covered by insurance. Real estate records online indicate it may have last been sold in March 2020.

 

As more information becomes available it will be released to the public.