A 77-year-old Vermont man was killed after he went back into a burning home early Friday morning in an attempt to retrieve his car keys and the building then collapsed.
Vermont State Police said the Newbury and Corinth fire departments responded to a house fire on Bowen Road in Newbury around 2:15 a.m. Friday. When fire crews arrived, they found the single-family home fully engulfed in flames.
All of the occupants had initially made it out safely, state police said, but one resident then went back inside to retrieve car keys in the hopes of moving a vehicle away from the burning building. The man never returned, and soon after, the building collapsed.
After the fire was extinguished, crews were able to enter the property and find the man, identified as James Lacount, dead in a bedroom on the first floor. His remains were sent to the state medical examiner's office where an autopsy will determine the manner and cause of death and confirm his identity.
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Investigators have not been able to determine the origin and cause of the fire due to the extensive amount of damage, but officials said it is not believed to be suspicious in nature.
The American Red Cross and state police are assisting the family.
