Woman found dead after house fire

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – A woman was found dead when crews responded to a house fire on Fort Wayne’s near-northeast side late Tuesday morning.

Firefighters were called to the home around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, in the 2700 block of Clara Avenue, between Rolston and Beacon streets, on a report of a fire there.

One person was found dead inside.

Firefighters were called after family members arrived at the home to check on their mother and found its windows covered in soot.

Inside, a woman was found dead, officials said. She was not named. A dog, too, was found dead, according to a Fort Wayne Fire Department report.

“It kind of hurts a little bit to know that somebody’s dead right across the street from our house,” Anthony Saunders said.

According to fire investigators, there was a fire at the home overnight, with the flames contained inside the home. When firefighters arrived, the fire had burned itself out.

The small, single-story white home was left with heavy interior damage. It appeared to sustain little – if any – exterior damage.

“This happens sometimes with fires when they basically choke themselves out and so it burns through the whole cycle and eliminate all the oxygen and it basically snuffs itself out,” Deputy Chief Adam O’Connor of the Fort Wayne Fire Department said. “It’s pretty rare actually. Usually, there’s some kind of opening that the fire will exhaust out of and that’s when people see smoke or flames coming out of the home. They call 911.”

There is a no-smoking sign on the front door, stating oxygen is inside. A ramp and handicap signs were located directly in front of the house.

Investigators are still determining a cause.