VSP NEWS RELEASE    

Incident: Fatal Fire Investigation with Newport City Police Department

STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY FIRE & EXPLOSION INVESTIGATION UNIT

VERMONT STATE POLICE – DERBY BARRACKS

Vermont State Police Case # 20A504927

Newport City Police Department Case# 20NP003983   

FIRE INVESTIGATORS: Detective Sergeant Todd Ambroz -Vermont State Police, Assistant State Fire Marshal Tim Angell - Division of Fire Safety

DATE/TIME: December 25, 2020 @ approximately 9:15 PM

INCIDENT LOCATION: 58 Pleasant Street, Apartment 3, Newport, VT 

Owner of Apartment Building: Michael Hatin, age 52 of Newport

Occupants of Apartment: Jonathan R. Coe, Age 39, Scott A. Maxham, age 35

SUMMARY OF INCIDENT: On December 25, 2020 at approximately 9:15 PM a 911 call was received about a fire in an upstairs apartment at 58 Pleasant Street in Newport City.  The Newport City Fire and Police Departments were on scene within 4 minutes and learned there was a male still inside the apartment.  Newport City Fire Fighters quickly extinguished the blaze, stopped the spread of the fire, and saved the rest of the apartment building.  Unfortunately one of the occupants of the second floor apartment, Jonathan R. Coe (39) was unable to get out of the apartment and perished in the fire.  The Newport City Fire Chief, John Harlamert, and the Newport City Police Department contacted the Department of Public Safety Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit (FEIU) to respond to the scene immediately to conduct an origin and cause investigation of the fire.  Assistant State Fire Marshal Tim Angell, and Det. Sgt. Todd Ambroz arrived at the fire scene on the eve of 12/25/20 and began their origin and cause investigation.  While the origin and cause investigation commenced, Officers from the Newport Police Department began a lengthy investigation into the events leading up to the fire event.  This joint investigation included several interviews, a search of the area for cell phone and home security videos and photographs, and additional examinations of the apartment during daylight hours.  The combined efforts of the Newport City Police Department, Newport City Fire Department, and the Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit revealed that at the time of the fire, Jonathan Coe was inside the apartment while his roommate, Scott Maxham, was inside the building but in a different apartment.  The FEIU examination determined the origin of the fire was in the kitchen on the electric burners of the stove top.  A frying pan with vegetable oil was left unattended on the stove on a heated burner until it reached a temperature causing it to ignite.  Once on fire it quickly communicated to nearby combustibles and filled the apartment with soot, smoke and untenable hot gasses.  The cause of the fire is classified as an unattended cooking fire and is accidental.  An autopsy of Jonathan Coe determined he suffered severe smoke inhalation, thermal burns from the radiant heat of the fire, and his body was recovered from the living room which was located next to the kitchen.  Anyone having information regarding this fire is asked to please contact any Police Officer with the Newport City Police Department, or by contacting Det. Sgt. Todd Ambroz of the FEIU at 802-878-7111 or by email at todd.ambroz@vermont.gov   

The attached photos show the fire once it was extinguished, and one picture taken by a bystander prior to the fire department’s arrival.   

Detective Sergeant Todd Ambroz

Department of Public Safety Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit

Vermont State Police, A-Troop West

2777 St. George Road

Williston, VT 05495

Office 802-878-7111

todd.ambroz@vermont.gov