Man, Dog Die in Overnight Fire

UPDATE: Fire officials have identified the man killed in a fire early Friday morning in Derry as 48-year-old Michael Lacharite. The cause and manner of death has been determined to be accidental due to smoke inhalation. 

The fire investigation has determined that the fire originated on a sofa in the living room of the residence and that the cause of the fire has been determined to be accidental due to misuse of smoking materials in close proximity to papers and rubbish. No smoke alarms were located on the main level of the residence where the victim was located. One smoke alarm was located in the basement but the detector was approximately 20 years old and not known if it was functioning. 

An earlier story follows:

A man and a dog were killed in a 2-alarm fire in a Derry home overnight.

The Derry Fire Department received a call around 1 a.m. Friday from a passing motorist who noticed fire coming from the roof of a residence at 357 Island Pond Road. Firefighters arrived at the scene within three minutes and found heavy fire coming from the single-family home.

According to Derry Fire, crews were initially unable to enter the building due to the heavy volume of fire, so defensive fire operations were initiated. There was a car in the driveway, leading firefighters to believe that the building might be occupied. Crews performed a visual inspection through bedroom windows using ladders and also used thermal imaging cameras, with no findings. But they later found one deceased male inside.

Firefighters did not hear any activated smoke detectors, and will be investigating whether that was a factor in the fire. The home is considered a total loss.

Salem, Londonderry, Hudson, Pelham, Manchester, Auburn, Atkinson, Hampstead, Windham and Chester all provided coverage at the scene. Station coverage was provided by Raymond, Kingston, Hooksett and Hampstead.