CHELSEA, VT — Vermont State Police have identified the two people killed in a house fire last week as Max Quayle, 57, and Karen Snyder, 71, both of Chelsea.
The fire was reported at about 3:15 a.m. Wednesday at a single-family residence at 5 North Common.
Members of multiple fire departments including Chelsea and Tunbridge responded and extinguished the blaze after approximately 3.5 hours.
The building is a total loss.
During a subsequent search of the structure, investigators located the remains of two people.
Both victims lived in the house where the fire occurred.
Their bodies were brought to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for autopsies to confirm their identities and determine the cause and manner of their deaths.
The deaths are being investigated by the Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations – Troop B East.
The origin and cause of the fire is under investigation by the Department of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit.
Anyone with information that might aid investigators is asked to call VSP’s Royalton Barracks at 802-234-9933 or provide an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
