(Spirit Lake)– One of two house fires today (Wed.) in Spirit Lake that occurred within minutes of each other proved deadly.
The first call came in around 9:00 a.m. when Spirit Lake firefighters were called to 510 9th Street. Fire Chief David Kollasch says smoke could be seen coming from an attic vent. He says firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, which was contained to the attic.
Kollasch says it appears the cause was electrical in nature. He says no one was home at that residence and there were no injuries.
Just as firefighters were beginning to battle that blaze, they were called to a second house fire at 2610 Center Lake Drive in Spirit Lake. The Arnolds Park/Okoboji Fire Department was then called to assist with manpower.
Upon arriving firefighters found flames and a considerable amount of smoke coming from that structure.
Upon extinguishing the blaze they found the body of 82-year-old Marjorie Anderson of Spirit Lake. An official cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy.
The cause of that blaze remains under investigation by the Spirit Lake Fire Department and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Firefighters were on the scene several hours. They were assisted by the Spirit Lake Police Department, Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office, Dickinson County Emergency Management and the State Fire Marshal.
