|
|
Moorhead Fire Dept 111 12th St N Moorhead MN 56560
(218) 299-5432 |
|
 |
Moorhead Fire Chief Joel Hewitt said heavy smoke from the fire at 1311 3rd Ave. S. incapacitated the man and woman, who were rescued near the front porch.
Emergency workers performed CPR on each victim and were able to get a pulse by the time the ambulance arrived at MeritCare Hospital, Hewitt said.
The man and woman, both in their 90s, died at MeritCare, Hewitt said. Names of the victims were not released late Tuesday evening.
The fire, reported at 6:07 p.m., started in the rear of the home in the kitchen, Hewitt said. A cause was not immediately determined.
A state fire marshal from New London, Minn., arrived after 10 p.m. Tuesday and Hewitt said investigators would likely work late into the night.
Local fire departments are required to call a state fire marshal to help investigate fires that result in fatalities, Hewitt said.
Dozens of bystanders gathered near the scene, including Gail Magnan and her 11-year-old daughter, Emily, who live around the corner from the couple's street.
They just visited the couple while trick-or-treating Sunday.
"They're just a sweet old couple," Gail Magnan said. "We need to go home and say prayers for these people."
Magnan said the man used a walker.
Some bystanders reported seeing a third person at the home.
The third person may have been a relative who comes to check on the couple each evening, Hewitt said. No one other than the couple was injured, he said. It was unclear Tuesday who reported the fire to police.
Volunteers with the Minn-Kota American Red Cross responded to the fire and met with family members at the hospital.
Dave Pattengale, director of emergency services, said in a press release the Red Cross is making disaster counselors available to the family.
Tuesday's fire was the first significant blaze since Hewitt became chief of the Moorhead Fire Department in July.
Because it was a serious fire with injuries, all off-duty Moorhead firefighters were called to the scene, Hewitt said.
Two Fargo fire trucks also responded, one to the fire and the other to Moorhead's headquarter station to protect the rest of Moorhead, he said.
In all, five or six fire trucks and nearly 30 firefighters were at the scene of the fire, said Hewitt, adding the coordination went smoothly.
"This is what we train for day in and day out," Hewitt said.
Moorhead firefighters responded to two fatal fires in late 2000.
In November of that year, Joshua M. Patterson, 20, died of carbon monoxide poisoning after a cigarette started a couch on fire at 1318 4th Ave. S.
That December, Steven James Halverson, 23, died in a fire in an apartment at 429 4th St. S. Investigators believed he fell asleep while smoking.
Forum reporter Andrea Domaskin and photographer Ann Arbor Miller contributed to this story. Readers can reach Forum reporter Amy Dalrymple at (701) 241-5590
|
Last modified: August 02, 2007 |
Fire claims
2 lives