STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
CASE#: 26B2003004
RANK/TROOPER FULL NAME: Detective Trooper Mengbei Wang
STATION: VSP Royalton
CONTACT#: 802-234-9933
DATE/TIME: 3:15 a.m. Wednesday, June 17, 2026
INCIDENT LOCATION: 5 North Common, Chelsea, VT
INCIDENT: Fatal fire investigation
VICTIM NO. 1: Max Quayle
AGE: 57
CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: Chelsea, Vermont
VICTIM NO. 2: Karen Snyder
AGE: 71
CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: Chelsea, Vermont
SUMMARY OF INCIDENT:
The Vermont State Police is able to identify the victims of last week’s fire in Chelsea as Max Quayle, 57, and Karen Snyder, 71, both of whom lived in the house where the fire occurred.
The investigation into the origin and cause of the fire by the Department of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit remains active and ongoing.
No additional details are available at this time.
***Initial news release, 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, June 17, 2026***
The Vermont State Police is investigating the deaths of two people whose bodies were found following a fire early Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at a house in Chelsea.
The fire was reported at about 3:15 a.m. at a single-family residence at 5 North Common. Members of multiple fire departments including Chelsea and Tunbridge responded and extinguished the blaze after approximately 3.5 hours. The building is a total loss.
During a subsequent search of the structure, investigators located the remains of two people. Their bodies will be brought to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for autopsies to confirm their identities and determine the cause and manner of their deaths.
The deaths are being investigated by the Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigations – Troop B East. The origin and cause of the fire is under investigation by the Department of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit.
Anyone with information that might aid investigators is asked to call VSP’s Royalton Barracks at 802-234-9933 or provide an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
No additional details are available at this time. The state police will share updates as the case proceeds.
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