A Rumford House Fire Claimed the Life of 1 Man, His Wife is Safe

A Rumford house fire took the life of one of its occupants but spared the other.

Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss says the fire at 516 Virgin Street in Rumford was reported just before 4:00 Friday morning. The caller told the dispatcher that there were two people inside the 3-story home and that one of them was unable to get out.

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Firefighters from Rumford, Mexico, Andover, Peru, and Dixfield responded and found a deceased male inside the home. He was later identified as Edward Vidito, 57, who lived in the house with his wife. She was able to get out of the home safely, along with their two dogs. Mr. Vidito's body will be examined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta to determine his cause of death.

A team of investigators from the Maine State Fire Marshal's Office is now working to determine how the fire started.

This is the 4th fire-related fatality in Maine this year. A Chelsea woman, Gladys McGuire, died when her house burned in January. Paul Spaulding was killed in a house fire in Hampden on January 31st. On that same day, a house fire in Sabattus claimed the life of Edward Greenier.