SALEM, N.H. (WHDH) - Police said a man found dead in the rubble of a house in Salem, New Hampshire had killed himself.
Investigators found the body in the remains of a condemned home in Salem, New Hampshire that exploded Monday night and went up in flames.
“We’ve been able to locate one body in the basement of the residence,” said Salem Police Capt. Joel Dolan. “We do not know who that person is at this time.”
The man died from a “self-inflicted gunshot wound,” according to Dolan. Dolan said “numerous” rounds of ammunition and two guns were found near the man’s body, including a rifle. The body was initially seen through a basement window but a bomb squad had to be called to secure the Irving Street home before crews could enter. An autopsy on the body is slated to take place Wednesday.
Investigators found boards with nails poking through them on the property, which appear to be intended to hurt or slow anyone approaching the house, said Dolan. Other traps were found in the house.
Police said officers were initially called to Charles Hill’s Irving Street home Monday on a report of a neighbor dispute over firewood stacked up a against a fence. As officers approached the house, they said they heard a hissing noise, followed by an explosion and an odor of gas. A neighbor reported hearing at least a dozen rounds of ammunition going off.
“The fire does not look like an accident,” said Dolan.
Flames and smoke could be seen pouring out of the house for hours. Evacuations of multiple homes were ordered in the nearby area via a reverse 911 call.
Police said they are familiar with Hill, even though his house was condemned in 2015. They said no one was supposed to be living in the home. Hill was apparently in the process of being evicted over back taxes.
Neighbors said Hill lived there for decades, and while he mostly kept to himself, he exhibited odd behavior. One neighbor told 7News that he would walk around carrying a gun. Another man said the police were called to the house in the middle of the night because Hill was loudly playing bongo drums in the driveway. A woman who grew up in the neighborhood said she was always told not to go to his house on Halloween.
The state fire marshal’s office is investigating the blast. The victim has not been positively identified but police said they are not looking for Hill.
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