STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
CASE#: 26A4000685
RANK/TROOPER FULL NAME: Detective Sgt. Christopher Blais
DFS INVESTIGATOR: Assistant State Fire Marshal Shawn Goodell
STATION: Department of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit
CONTACT#: 802-234-9933
DATE/TIME: about 1:20 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026
INCIDENT LOCATION: 2937 Goshen Rd., Bradford
VICTIM: Mark Hewes
AGE: 65
CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: Bradford, VT
SUMMARY OF INCIDENT:
On Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, the Bradford Fire Department and Upper Valley Ambulance were dispatched to a fire scene on Goshen Road in Bradford. The fire department located 65-year-old Mark Hewes in a camper on the property with burns to his arms, ears, neck and face. Hewes was transported to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, where he was listed in critical condition. He was later taken by helicopter to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
Bradford Fire contacted the Department of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit to investigate the fire. Preliminary information indicates this was an accidental fire related to a portable heater. The fire is not considered suspicious.
Anyone with information regarding the fire is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Christopher Blais at the Royalton Barracks at 802-234-9933 or by contacting the Vermont Arson Tip Award Program (VATAP) hotline at 1-800-32-ARSON (1-800-322-7766).
The Vermont Division of Fire Safety would like to remind Vermonters that space heaters should be at least 3 feet away from anything that can burn and should not be left unattended.
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