Staff Writer
AMITY — A mobile home fire claimed the life of an Amity man last week.
Edwin Connelly, Jr., 59, died in his Willams Road home along with his nine dogs, according to information released Tuesday afternoon.
Connelly’s identity had originally been withheld pending notification of relatives. Steve McCausland, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, said relatives in Connecticut were located and notified yesterday. Connelly’s body was transported to the State Medical Examiners office for positive identification and cause of death, added McCausland.
Investigators with the state fire marshal’s office recovered the body on Jan. 21; they believe the fire occurred on Jan. 17, but it wasn’t discovered until Jan. 20.
“A plow operator discovered the fire on Sunday when he went to plow the man’s driveway and found that all that was left of the mobile home was steel beams it once sat on,” explained McCausland. “[Connelly] was last seen on Thursday and investigators think the fire took place Thursday night.”
The mobile home, located at the end of a side road off Route 1, was about a half a mile from its nearest neighbor. McCausland said the home had no electricity and was heated by a wood stove.
No cause of the fire was determined.
“It is unlikely a cause of the fire will be determined because of the total destruction of the home,” said McCausland.
This is Maine’s second fire death in 2008, he added.
