Body found after vehicle fire

17 years ago
By Sarah Berthiaume
Staff Writer

    HOULTON — Police say a Hillview Avenue resident found last week in a burning car was not killed by smoke or flames.
    Firefighters discovered the body of 52-year-old Billy Hanning while responding to a car fire at his residence just before 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 5.
    “Upon [our] arrival, the front of the vehicle was totally involved,” said Houlton Fire Chief Milton Cone. “After extinguishing the fire in the front of the car, firefighters opened the door to look inside and found [Hanning’s] body in the driver’s seat.”
    The 1997 Dodge Stratus was parked in the driveway of Hanning’s Hillview Avenue home when it caught fire. Cone said they believe the fire started in the engine compartment. It appeared that the vehicle had been running for some time, he added.
    Investigators were called to the scene, including Officer Carolyn Crandall of the Houlton Police Department, as well as, an investigator with the State Fire Marshal’s office and members of the Maine State Police’s Criminal Investigation Division.
    At presstime, the cause of death was still undetermined, but Lt. Daniel Pelletier of the Houlton Police Department said that Hanning’s death was not considered suspicious and that the fire is not believed to be the cause.