A Sunday afternoon house fire on the south side of Bloomington ended in tragedy when firefighters discovered a woman dead inside the home, officials said. Crews located the victim while conducting an interior search of a residence in the 7000 block of South Strain Ridge Road. The Monroe County Coroner’s Office said the woman’s name and official cause of death will be released after relatives are notified.
What officials reported
Monroe County Central Emergency Dispatch began receiving 911 calls about a structure fire around 2:51 p.m., and multiple fire units along with Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies were sent to the scene, according to FOX59. Firefighters went inside the home and found one deceased female. Investigators at the scene said they did not uncover any immediate signs of foul play. The Monroe Fire Protection District will work jointly with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office as they investigate how the fire started.
Investigation and recent context
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation, coordinating with the county coroner and the Monroe Fire Protection District. Those same agencies have recently handled other deadly fires in the area, according to a county news release. In January, a house fire on East Anderson Road brought out the same responding agencies and resulted in multiple fatalities, as detailed in a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office news release and local reporting by the Bloomingtonian. Officials said additional information in the latest case will be released after next-of-kin notifications are complete and the coroner finishes the examination.
About the fire district
The Monroe Fire Protection District covers Bloomington’s south side and operates several fire stations that respond to house and structure fires throughout the county, according to the district’s website. When the cause of a fire is not immediately clear, local fire investigators routinely work alongside the Indiana State Fire Marshal and the sheriff’s investigative division. Authorities said they plan to share more details on Sunday’s fire as their investigation moves forward.
