Strafford fatal fire victim is identified

Kerri Rainville's mother died in a fire at their Rogers Road home Thursday morning in Strafford, Vt., shown on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. The fire was reported at 8:13 a.m. Thursday morning and was already engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. James M. Patterson

Published: 02-21-2024 4:55 PM

STRAFFORD — Vermont State Police officially identified the victim of the fatal house fire in Strafford on Feb. 15 as Corinne Rainville, 77, of Strafford.

The investigation into the cause of the fire is continuing, Vermont State Police said in a media update on Wednesday.

As previously reported, Rainville, formerly of Arlington, Mass., was the mother of the home’s owner, Kerri Rainville.

A GoFundMe campaign to help Kerri Rainville, the school nurse at the Newton School in Strafford, and her school-age daughter who lost everything in the fire had raised more than $23,500 as of noon on Wednesday.

Investigators have told Rainville’s neighbors they believe that the fire originated with the house’s propane-fueled furnace, although no final determination has yet been made.