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NEWPORT – One person died in a house fire Monday morning, Jan. 7, on Coyote Trail, near Highway 2. The person was unidentified as of Tuesday morning. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is involved in the investigation.
"ATF was requested to assist us due to an unidentified fatality,” South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue Fire Chief Shane Stocking said in an email response to questions from The Miner.
According to a news release, SPOFR is working with federal partners in investigating the fire.
“ATF is the assisting federal agency in this case out of availability and expertise, not circumstance or suspicion,” Stocking said in response to a Miner question whether arson or explosives were suspected.
Stocking said that a death investigation is not beyond Pend Oreille County resources, but ATF could provide more robust assistance.
He said all agencies were waiting to publicly identify the person who died “until all proper channels of identification and next of kin notifications have been made.”
See The Miner’s Jan. 8 issue for the full story.
