#DC-0099
Scott Thomas and Gerald Gutekunst
Investigation
last updated 28 July 2026 · 1 sources
Confirmed facts
11
Open questions
5
Deaths
2
Residents
9
Escaped
7
Charges
None reported
This case is still developing. Get an email when the file updates.
Timeline of what's confirmed11 entries
21 July 2026, around 3 a.m.
A fire broke out at a multi-family home on Orange Street in Nashua, New Hampshire.
CBS Boston, citing New Hampshire Fire Marshal Sean Toomey
21 July 2026
New Hampshire Fire Marshal Sean Toomey said flames tore through the second floor of a home with up to eight units.
CBS Boston, citing New Hampshire Fire Marshal Sean Toomey
21 July 2026
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said nine people lived in the building and seven escaped on their own.
CBS Boston, citing New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella
21 July 2026
Scott Thomas, 66, was rescued by first responders and later died at a hospital.
CBS Boston, citing New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella
21 July 2026
Gerald Gutekunst, 80, was found dead in an upstairs apartment.
CBS Boston, citing New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella
21 July 2026
New Hampshire Fire Marshal Sean Toomey said Thomas and Gutekunst lived in separate units in the building.
CBS Boston, citing New Hampshire Fire Marshal Sean Toomey
21 July 2026
Autopsies for Thomas and Gutekunst were being performed.
CBS Boston
21 July 2026
New Hampshire Fire Marshal Sean Toomey initially said the fire was not considered suspicious and said arson dogs would search for signs of accelerants.
CBS Boston, citing New Hampshire Fire Marshal Sean Toomey
21 July 2026
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella later said the deaths were being investigated as suspicious.
CBS Boston, citing New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella
21 July 2026
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said investigators were examining whether the incident may have involved a suicide by fire in which the fire spread and caused another person's death; that possibility was not reported as a finding.
CBS Boston, citing New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella
21 July 2026
New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said investigators were reviewing prior contacts between Gutekunst and public safety agencies and asked anyone who had spoken to him recently to call Nashua police.
CBS Boston, citing New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella
Open questionsunconfirmed · not conclusions
What caused the Orange Street fire?unconfirmed; CBS Boston reported investigators were examining whether the fire may have been intentionally set · unconfirmed
What were the official causes and manners of death for Scott Thomas and Gerald Gutekunst?unconfirmed; CBS Boston reported autopsies were being performed · unconfirmed
Were working smoke detectors present in the building?unconfirmed; CBS Boston reported Fire Marshal Sean Toomey said it was too early to tell · unconfirmed
Have authorities identified any person as charged in connection with the fire or deaths?unconfirmed; no charge was reported in the trusted source reviewed · unconfirmed
What did investigators find from their review of prior contacts between Gutekunst and public safety agencies?unconfirmed; CBS Boston reported the review was underway · unconfirmed
🔒
Members get the full evidence view
Source-by-source breakdown, contradictions log, and every update as it lands.
See membership