Fire On Summer Street

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Created on Tuesday, 09 November 2021 21:43

Written by Hailey Morgan

ST JOHNSBURY - The air smelt of smoke and burning paint, the front yard covered in glass and broken window screens. Locals gathered on summer street throughout the day to witness the remanence of what was once a home to four people.

The fire that took place in St. Johnsbury right next to Sayles Funeral Home was reported at about 1:45 a.m. in the morning. It was said initially that the fire started on the porch, but police and fire are still investigating the cause of the blaze. St. Johnsbury Fire Department had several other departments on scene assisting them throughout the morning to try to put out the engulfed house.

It took Barnet, Danville, Lyndonville, and Littleton fire dispatch to help put out the blaze that took crews about four to five hours to kill. St. Johnsbury Fire Chief Christofer Olsen said the fire just kept coming. After putting out one area of the fire inside the house, another would be in flames.

Not long after the fire had begun, CALEX Ambulance personnel were on site to respond to any medical emergencies. It was reported by locals that the three people that lived on the front end of the house were able to get out in time.

Unfortunately, St. Johnsbury police reported that 58 year old Connie March perished in the fire. They found her in the second floor apartment, where she was later taken for an autopsy. Lisa Emerson and her family live across the street from the home. She said she had been sleeping when she heard an explosion at 1:40 a.m. "It was really loud. It kind of flew me out of our bedroom. My husband and I woke up and our bedroom was bright red," Emerson explained.

She proceeded to run down the hallway to check on her son, to find he was already watching the blaze. "The whole side of the house was on fire," Emerson said. She watched a couple of people rush out of the building, as fire trucks flooded the streets. Another woman that lived in the area visiting the home said she felt the explosion all the way on main street where she lives. "The explosion was so loud, it sounded like a building blew up. You could see red in the sky." The St. Johnsbury Police department are still investigating the cause of the fire, and are not sure when they will be done analyzing the scene.