Young Victim Of Fatal Hampton Fire Identified

HAMPTON, NH - The victim of Wednesday's fatal Thorwald Avenue fire has been identified as 7-year-old Nova Demanche.

In a statement released Saturday afternoon, State Fire Marshal Paul Parisi said the state Medical Examiner’s Office made a positive identification, listing the cause of death as an accidental result of smoke and flames. The origin and cause of the fire are still under investigation.

The fire broke out at 12:43 a.m. Wednesday morning. Seven of eight people inside the house at the time were able to evacuate. Demanche’s body was found during a search after the fire was extinguished.

The house was also the home of the Guinea Pig Sanctuary. A woman identifying herself as Demanche’s grandmother has posted a statement on the Sanctuary’s Facebook page:

“I know you've heard by now, and yes, we're a mess. I released myself from ICU to be with the family, I tried two times to get back into the house to save my grandson and ended up with many burns. I couldn't save him and he was already gone. God help us," she wrote.

“Words cannot even describe the pain of losing my grandson and many of the piggies. I am asking for prayers for our family during this time. It's unbearable to lose a child.”

Several fundraisers have been started for the family and those displaced by the fire, including two GoFundMe pages started by Ocean State Guinea Pig Rescue founder Jean Solis Fusaro to raise money for the fire victims and for Guinea Pig Sanctuary owner Kim Lone. More than $5,500 in donations came into the pages as of Saturday afternoon.

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