95-Year-Old Man Killed In East Lyme House Fire: Police

EAST LYME, CT — A 95-year-old man has been identified as one of two people killed in a third alarm house fire Friday morning in East Lyme, according to police.

In a news release, Chief of Police Michael Finkelstein said the structure fire was reported on Willow Lane around 8 a.m.

The Flanders and Niantic fire departments both responded to the home when the fire reached a third alarm and a tanker task force was requested for water sources, Finkelstein said.

When firefighters searched the home, they found two people inside. Merril Lozanov, 95, a resident of the home, was pronounced dead at the scene.

A second victim found inside the home by firefighters and later pronounced dead at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital has not been officially identified yet. Both victims will undergo post mortem examinations at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Finkelstein said.

The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation by the office of the East Lyme fire marshal, with assistance from East Lyme police and the Connecticut State Police fire and explosion investigation unit.

According to WTNH News 8, fire officials said it did not appear there were any other residentsinside the home at the time of the fire. No firefighter injuries have been reported at this time.

The blaze was first reported to the department by a passerby in the area, NBC Connecticut reports. Crews from at least eight nearby towns helped fight the fire.

According to Fox 61, fire officials said crews would remain in the area for the rest of the morning and likely into the afternoon as they continue to investigate.