ALEXANDRIA BAY, NY — On Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, at approximately 6:36 a.m., State Police responded to a structure fire at 43816 Parkers Trailer Park Road in the town of Alexandria, NY.
Upon arrival, fire personnel from Plessis, Alexandria and Redwood Fire Departments observed the residence fully engulfed with flames.
A neighbor reported that the single occupant of the residence was unaccounted for.
During the fire suppression efforts, the sole occupant of the residence Carl R. Lawton, age 65, was found deceased in the hallway of the residence by fire personnel, troopers said.
An investigation into the fire was conducted by the Plessis Fire Department, the Jefferson County Fire and Emergency Management Office, the NYS Office of Prevention and Control and the New York State Police.
It was determined that the cause of the fire appears to be the result of an electric space heater being placed too close to combustible materials, troopers said.
State Police was assisted at the scene by members of the Plessis, Alexandria Bay and Redwood Fire Departments. Additional mutual aid was requested and responded from Fish Landing, Clayton, and Wellesley Island Fire Departments.