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3d ago

Nashua Apartment Fire Ruled Murder‑Suicide

State investigators say an 80‑year‑old resident intentionally set a fire in his unit that spread and killed a neighbor, with conclusions based on autopsy results, fire patterns and reviewed communications.

Flames erupting from a deadly fire at an Orange Street apartment building in Nashua, New Hampshire, on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.
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Overview

  • Fire crews responded to 19 Orange Street in Nashua early on Tuesday, July 21, after flames erupted in the eight‑unit building and the structure was later declared a total loss.
  • Autopsies by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner found smoke inhalation killed both men and the attorney general’s office has preliminarily ruled the deaths a murder‑suicide, with the 80‑year‑old’s manner listed as suicide and the 66‑year‑old’s as homicide.
  • Investigators say the blaze began in the older man’s second‑floor unit, that the door was locked and that fire patterns, written communications and forensic work indicate the fire was set intentionally.
  • Seven other residents escaped the building and the American Red Cross is assisting displaced people who lost their homes and belongings.
  • Authorities are reviewing the 80‑year‑old’s 2019 arson case and competency findings as part of the probe and say no criminal charges can be filed against him because he did not survive the fire.