Overview

• Crews were dispatched just before 6 a.m. Tuesday to the 300 block of Court Street, where they encountered heavy smoke and flames from a two-story home.
• Officials confirmed one person was found dead inside the residence and another resident suffered injuries.
• Twelve fire units, along with police and EMS, responded as firefighters worked to keep the fire from spreading to closely spaced neighboring houses.
• St. John's Episcopal Church in Portsmouth is collecting donations to support the surviving resident and the affected family.
• The cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation, and neighbors said the long-held family home may have contained historical documents.