AUBURN — An elderly woman was killed Tuesday in an overnight fire at 6 Second St.
A passer-by called for help at 2:58 a.m. after spotting the flames. Firefighters knocked down Marilyn Bonney’s door and found the 82-year-old woman unconscious in her kitchen on the first floor, police said.
She died at the scene.
“It’s under investigation and it’s not suspicious,” Fire Department Deputy Chief Geoff Low said. “It looks like an unfortunate circumstance.”
It took firefighters about 30 minutes to get the fire under control, according to Battalion Chief Richard McFadden. The fire is believed to have started in the cellar, he said.
A dog, a cat and two birds also died in the fire.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal is investigating, along with city police, fire and the electrical division.
The building had two apartments, but Bonney was the building’s only occupant.
Auburn officials were planning to close on the purchase of the property Wednesday morning, paying owner Peter Hart of Lisbon Falls $100,000 for the land and the building.
Reine Mynahan, Auburn’s community development director, said that closing is now on hold.
“I don’t really know how we are going to go about figuring out the value of the property,” Mynahan said. “We need to look at all of the issues and start working on that, but I think we still intend to buy that property.”
Mynahan said the city had negotiated the purchase agreement with Hart in March and had issued notices March 25 telling tenants they had to move.
One set of tenants began moving out two weeks ago and were living at their new address, Mynahan said.
Bonney had found a new home in Waterville but had not yet started relocating, Mynahan said.
Eric Cousens, Auburn’s director of planning and permitting, said the property is meant to be part of the expanded Little Andy Park and the New Auburn Greenway. That’s a riverside walking and athletic trail that’s designed to run along the Androscoggin River from Lown Peace Bridge on Broad Street to the Little Androscoggin River
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- Investigators from the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Auburn Fire Department and the Auburn Police Department investigate a fatal fire at 6 Second St. in Auburn on Tuesday morning.
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- Smoke stains can be seen above the first-floor window at 6 Second St. in Auburn on Tuesday morning. Neighbors said the second-floor tenants moved out a week ago.
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- Investigators from the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Auburn Fire Department and the Auburn Police Department investigate a fire at 6 Second St. in Auburn on Tuesday morning.
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