Wednesday, December 3, 2008 1:22 PM EST
By James Tinley, Register Staff
MILFORD — Fire officials Wednesday afternoon were shifting through the ashes of Brookdale Drive house in an attempt to determine what sparked the early-morning blaze that killed two people.
Fire officials said an elderly woman was found dead on the second floor and a man was found dead on the first floor of the 20 Brookdale Drive house, but have not confirmed their names. Neighbors and family friends identified them as Ramona Hughes and her adult son Jimmy.
The woman was found in a bedroom closet, said fire Capt. Chris Zak.
A third person who lives in an attached apartment escaped the blaze, Zak said. The man is believed to be the home’s co-owner, David Lane, according to neighbors.
The fast-moving fire was reported by a neighbor at 2:10 a.m., Zak said. Within 10 minutes of the call the fire was brought under control, Zak said.
When firefighters entered the burning building to knock down the flames from the inside and search for victims, the floor near the front door collapsed. Luckily there was only a small crawl space underneath and not a full basement, Zak said. Efforts were further hampered because the stairs leading to the top floor of the house partially collapsed. A ladder was brought in to reach the second floor, Zak said.
Fire investigators were at the scene Wednesday trying to determine how the blaze began. "It’s stumping a lot of people right now," Zak said, as fire officials sifted through ashes behind him. The Milford fire marshal is working with the state fire marshal and Milford police to determine the cause of the fire.
There were no smoke alarms in the house, Zak said.
Stephen Daniel, who lives across the street from the fire-scarred house, said he woke up when the fire trucks arrived.
"It’s just terrible," he said. "I wish I woke up sooner. It would have been nice to have been able to help."
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