FREMONT – A 77-year-old man was killed in a house fire in the Town of Fremont in Sullivan County the night of March 13, New York State Police reported.
State police said a passerby contacted emergency services just after 5:30 p.m. after seeing a house on Banuat Road in the Town of Fremont was on fire.
The passerby said he attempted to approach the residence but retreated due to intense heat.
Other nearby residents also called 911.
Fire departments from multiple agencies responded to the scene, including the Callicoon Fire District, Jeffersonville Fire Department, Roscoe Rockland Fire Station, Callicoon Center Firehouse, Hortonville Fire Company, North Branch Volunteer Fire Company, Hankins Fire Department and the Sullivan County Fire Department.
When state troopers arrived at the scene, they were advised that a resident might still be inside the single-family home.
After the fire was extinguished, first responders located a man, identified as Dennis R. Banuat of Roscoe, dead inside the residence.
State police said a preliminary investigation indicated the fire started in the vicinity of a wood-burning stove. At this time, no evidence of criminal activity has been identified, state police said.
State police said the investigation into the fire remains open pending the results of a final fire analysis.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record and the Poughkeepsie Journal. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: 77-year-old man killed in fire in Town of Fremont in Sullivan County
Reporting by Mike Randall, Middletown Times Herald- Record / Times Herald-Record
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