SCRIBA, N.Y. -- The owner of May's Polynesian Motel and Mini-Mart in Scriba was found dead inside his convenience store after a fire on New Year's Day.

All the entry points to the convenience store where 48-year-old Steven May's body was found were barricaded and chained shut from the interior, Oswego County Undersheriff Eugene Sullivan said in a statement.

Firefighters first arrived to the motel and convenience store, just outside Oswego on State Route 104, around 9:45 p.m. Friday after a motel occupant reported smelling smoke.

Firefighters found flames coming from both ends of the motel and from the southwest corner of the convenience store.

Scriba firefighters had to force their way into the barricaded store, Sullivan said.

Oswego County fire investigators found several points of origin where the fire started in both buildings, according to the sheriff's office.

Both ends of the motel, as well as the southwest corner of the store were significantly damaged.

One family staying in a motel room was evacuated and is being assisted by the Red Cross.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Onondaga County Medical Examiner's Office will determine May's cause of death.

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