A spokeswoman for the state fire marshal's office said a propane tank seemed the likely culprit but the cause of the fire at Hansen's Auto Service on Silver Street was still technically under investigation.
This is an updated version of a story posted at 1:29 this afternoon.
Granville Volunteer Fire Department firefighter Michael Lee, left, and Chief Scott Loomis at Hanson's Garage Friday after the van they are near burned killing a man and injuring a female companion.
GRANVILLE - A homeless couple who had apparently sought shelter in an abandoned van in a Granville junk yard started a fire that killed a man and sent a woman to the hospital with burns, according to Fire Chief Scott Loomis and state police fire investigators.
Jennifer Mieth, spokeswoman for the state fire marshal's office, said a propane tank seemed the likely culprit but the cause of the fire at Hansen's Auto Service on Silver Street was still technically under investigation.
State Trooper Michael Mazza, affiliated with the state fire marshal's office, said investigators know who the victims are but are not releasing their identities at this time. Loomis said the man was about middle-aged and the woman was taken to Noble Hospital in Westfield for treatment.
The fire started between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Friday morning. A neighbor called in the fire, said Loomis, who is chief of a volunteer department. About eight Granville volunteers came out and battled the blaze in what became a driving, icy snow and Loomis called in other departments when the fire spread from one vehicle to others and to the garage.
Granville and state fire officials wrap up battling a blaze at a junk yard on Silver Street in Granville as driving snow descends.
"It was a different situation when it became a structure fire," Loomis said.
There was minimal damage to the building.
The outside was slightly charred as the medical examiner's truck pulled up late Friday morning.
It was not clear whether the couple had regularly taken refuge in the car, but officials said the spot was not unknown to homeless in the rural town.