STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
CASE#: 25B5000251
TROOPER: Detective Sgt. James Wright
STATION: New Haven Barracks / Vermont Department of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit
CONTACT#: 802-388-4919
DATE/TIME: About 7:41 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025
LOCATION: East Street, Bristol, VT
INCIDENT: Fatal fire investigation
SUMMARY OF INCIDENT:
At about 7:41 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, the Bristol Fire Department received a 911 call advising of a residential structure fire on East Street in the Town of Bristol. The Bristol Police Department was first to arrive on scene, followed shortly after by the Bristol Fire Department. Arriving units found the structure to be fully involved. The departments received information that a man was still inside the residence. Due to the intensity of the fire, efforts to locate and remove the man were unsuccessful.
The deceased victim, later identified as Steven C. Leopold, 78, was located inside the residence. His body will be transported to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.
The Vermont Department of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit was contacted to assist the Bristol Fire Department and the Bristol Police Department in determining the origin and cause of the fire. The Bristol Police Department is the lead investigative agency regarding the death of Mr. Leopold.
The investigation into the origin and cause of this fire and Mr. Leopold’s death remains active, however they do not appear to be suspicious at this time.
The Division of Fire Safety would like to remind people the importance of having an escape plan and two ways out of your home.
Anyone who might have information that could be relevant to this case is asked to call Detective Sgt. James Wright at VSP’s New Haven Barracks at 802-388-4919 or Chief Bruce Nason at the Bristol Police Department 802-453-2533, leave an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit, or contact the Vermont Arson Tip Award Program (VATAP) hotline at 1-800-32-ARSON (1-800-322-7766).
No additional information is currently available.
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