A 50-year-old Shelton man found dead in a burning home on Colony Street in Ansonia on Tuesday committed suicide by setting himself on fire, according to police.
Police and firefighters rushed to the home at 96 Colony Street after receiving a 911 call just before 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday and a woman who lives there told police a man didn't make it out.
Police identified the man as Paul Czetwertynski, 50, of Shelton. On Wednesday, authorities said the medical examiner ruled his death a suicide.
Authorities said there were an ongoing domestic issues between Czetwertynski and his wife and he threatened to burn the house down.
Czetwertynski likely doused himself in gasoline, lit a match and set himself on fire, according to a news release from police.
His wife was able to get out of the house and was not injured, according to police.
"It was just a mad dash for everyone to get here," said witness Tia Rich. "I started seeing people walking over and looked and noticed that the house was on fire."
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Emergency responders arrived to find flames engulfing the back of the home. Police said the flames and heat made it impossible to search for Czetwertynski.
They found his body in the home after extinguishing the blaze.
"It's tragic. It’s very difficult. We don’t know all the circumstances at this point. That’s what we’re going to figure out," Ansonia police spokesman Lt. Andrew Cota said Tuesday night. "It’s still a sad state of affairs and we’ll provide them any support that we can."
Police originally said Czetwertynski lived in the house with a woman who was uninjured. As of Wednesday afternoon, police said he lived on Grove Street in Shelton.
"It seemed to be over just as quick as it started," Rich said.-
