The State Fire Marshal’s Office has determined that the home where a man’s body was discovered Wednesday was intentionally set on fire.
One man’s body was found inside the two-story home at 72A Shapleigh Road in Lebanon, said Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
Authorities said the man, whose name is not being released, was 58-years-old and lived alone in a second-story apartment. He rented the unit.
“It was evident the home was set on fire,” McCausland said Wednesday evening. “The State Fire Marshal’s Office has made the determination that it was arson.”
It is still not clear to investigators whether the victim was dead before the fire started or whether he set the fire. McCausland said more details concerning the circumstances surrounding the man’s death should be known by Thursday.
“We are still looking into the role the victim may have had in the fire,” McCausland said.
McCausland said the State Police Major Crimes Unit along with the State Fire Marshal’s Office will continue to investigate.
A police canine was brought to the fire scene to sniff for accelerants. The man’s body was transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office.
The fire was reported around noon.
Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:
dhoey@pressherald.com
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