Sheriff IDs Man Killed In Esopus House Fire

ESOPUS, NY — The man who died in a Town of Esopus house fire has been identified. The Ulster County Sheriff’s Office said Juntao Xu, 62, of Queens, was killed in the July 10 fire at 719 Old Post Rd.

The sheriff’s office also said that the preliminary investigation indicated that the origin of the fire was likely electrical.

A homeowner reported being awakened by a smoke alarm around 2:30 a.m. The homeowner and one of two house guests were able to get out of the house safely and call 911.

Xu, a second house guest, was in the basement area and said he was going to retrieve some property.

He was later found dead inside the first floor area.

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