NEW PARIS – The state fire marshal is investigating a fire in New Paris that killed 40-year-old Dewey Thomas Smith Jr. Friday night.
It happened around 8:30 p.m. in the 2100 block of US 6. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Smith, a resident of the home, was found dead inside. Neighbors say the man lived there alone and had only been in the home for a short time.
"I don't know what to say, it's devastating,” said Austin Messer, neighbor. “[It is] pretty crazy something like that happening that close to you."
An autopsy for Smith is scheduled for Monday.
