The State Fire Marshal’s Office has located the body of a 90-year-old woman who died when her Aroostook County farmhouse burned down Monday morning.
Investigators using an excavator found the woman’s body in the basement of the Fort Fairfield home around 8:30 p.m. after digging through rubble for 8 hours, according to the fire marshal’s office. The victim is believed to be Dawn Findlen, but positive identification will be made by the state medical examiner.
Findlen, whose husband Bill died last January, lived alone in the home. The Findlens owned the farmhouse for decades. The home at one time housed farm workers, but had been a single-family home since the 1950s, according to investigators.
The fire at 34 Densmore Road was discovered at 4 a.m. Monday by a neighbor, who called 911. The house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.
Because of the severity of damage, the cause of the fire will remain undetermined.
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