AG: NH apartment fire that killed 2 was set intentionally by 1 of the victims

Two men were killed in a fire at a Nashua, New Hampshire apartment building Tuesday, including a man who appears to have set the fire intentionally in order to die by suicide, authorities announced. 

In the early morning of July 21, the Nashua fire and police departments responded to a fire inside an apartment building on Orange Street, the office of Attorney General John Formella said in a press release on behalf of New Hampshire State Fire Marshal Sean Toomey, Nashua Police Chief Kevin Rourke, and Nashua Fire Chief Steve Buxton. 

Two men who were in two separate apartments died as a result of the fire, the AG said. Officials identified them as Scott Thomas, 66, and Gerald Gutekunst, 80. 

On Tuesday, Formella’s office said that autopsies would be conducted on both men and that investigators were looking into whether the incident was a case of “suicide by fire.” The AG’s office noted that Gutekunst was charged with arson and making threats in Hudson, N.H. in 2019, but the charges were dismissed after he was declared incompetent to stand trial. 

On Wednesday, the AG announced that autopsies determined that both Gutekunst and Thomas died from smoke inhalation, and that Gutekunst’s manner of death was suicide while Thomas’ manner of death was homicide — defined by the state’s medical examiner as “the killing of one person by another.”

The investigation is still in process, but law enforcement has enough information as of Wednesday to draw some “preliminary conclusions,” Formella’s office wrote in a press release.

Investigators believe that, at around 3 a.m. on July 21, Gutekunst locked his door and intentionally set a fire in his apartment.

“He did not try to escape. Investigators have reviewed communication sent by Mr. Gutekunst at the time of the fire indicating his intent to commit self-harm, and fire patterns inside the apartment indicate the fire was set intentionally,” the AG’s office said.

That fire spread to the rest of the apartment building, ultimately killing Thomas, officials said.

“There is no indication at this time that Mr. Gutekunst specifically intended to harm Mr. Thomas by his act,” Formella’s office wrote.

Because Gutekunst is dead, prosecutors cannot bring charges against him for causing Thomas’ death, according to the AG.

“Fire Marshal Toomey would like to remind our citizens that this event highlights how arson is not a victimless crime, and that any intentionally set fire puts in motion a series of events that significantly jeopardizes the safety of both the public and our First Responders,” the AG wrote.

Formella’s office reminded residents that they can speak to a trained counselor by calling the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

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