Moorhead

Fire Dept

111 12th St N

Moorhead MN  56560

(218) 299-5432

House fire kills 86-year-old

By Tom Pantera, The Forum
Published Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Photo caption: Dorothy Carey, 86, died Tuesday morning when her home at 801 13th St. N. in Moorhead burned. Michael Vosburg / Forum Photo Editor

RELATED CONTENT WDAY: 1 dead from blaze

Dorothy Carey didn’t need much help from anybody.

Her Moorhead neighbor, Tygr Palmer, called the 86-year-old “probably the most active woman I’ve met in my life.” She mowed her own lawn, shoveled her own sidewalk and gardened, he said.

But when Carey most needed help, it didn’t reach her in time.

She died early Tuesday morning in a spectacular fire that destroyed her home at 801 13th St. N.

In a statement sent to media Tuesday afternoon, Moorhead Fire Marshal Rich Duysen identified the victim as Carey and said the blaze apparently started as a slow, smoldering fire in the house’s living room. It appeared to be accidental, he said.

The house was fully ablaze when firefighters arrived, with flames coming out of a second-story window.

Fire spread to the side of Palmer’s neighbor’s house to the north but was quickly extinguished, Gaughan said.

It took about 90 minutes to control the fire well enough so firefighters could go inside, he said. The first floor remained structurally sound, but most of the second floor had collapsed.

Duysen, still on the scene at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, said Carey’s body was found in the kitchen.

The body was taken to Ramsey County, Minn., for an autopsy, Duysen said. Preliminary indication of the cause of death could be available by today, he said.

Palmer said he was awakened at 2:30 a.m. by the screams of his wife, who woke up to sirens. They got their children, ages 13 and 5, dressed and out of the house. He said his own home suffered mostly exterior damage, although Venetian blinds on windows on that side melted. Shingles on the edge of the roof appeared affected and windows shattered from the heat. The vinyl siding was melted and warped.

Firefighters extinguished hot spots in Carey’s house until 7 a.m.

Palmer said Carey lived alone with her dog, Portia. Firefighters said they also recovered the dog’s body from the home.

Duysen said it was the largest house fire in Moorhead in more than two years.

Firefighters from Fargo, Dilworth and West Fargo assisted the Moorhead Fire Department.

See Area Deaths, Page C8

Readers can reach Forum reporter Tom Pantera at (701) 241-5541

Moorhead Fatal Fire

Emily Welker
Moorhead firefighters are piecing together answers tonight out of the rubble of a north Moorhead home. The early morning blaze took the life of the elderly woman who lived there. Fire crews say there was nothing they could have done for the lone resident of 801 13th street north, 86-year-old Dorothy Carey. The fire had been burning for at least a half hour by the time anyone noticed and called them and she was likely long gone. Crews say their first sight of the house showed flames in all top-story windows. Moments later, the entire structure was engulfed. In daylight, you can see how completely the house is gutted. Most of the top story is now on the ground floor. The blaze was so intense it also involved the house next door. Residents there escaped just in time to see their own house catch fire. They say based on what they saw, they were not surprised to hear their neighbor had not survived for as long as it took them to find her. Investigators on the scene thought it would take the better part of the day to figure out what happened to start the fire. There was a wood-burning stove at the scene but that has not yet been implicated. We'll bring you an update on the latest here on news eleven at six.

Moorhead Fire Fatality

Michelle Turnberg
An 86-year-old woman was killed in the early morning blaze at a house in Moorhead. Now investigators are trying to figure out what caused a deadly blaze. Mrs. Dorothy Carey lived alone. Her neighbors say she was a very active, independent lady who at the age of 86 still mowed her own yard, shoveled her own sidewalks and drove where ever she wanted to go. Firefighters pulled her body from the rubble, four hours after the fire began. A passer-by reported the fire around 2:30 this morning. It took firefighters about an hour to knock down the flames. Authorities don't know what caused the blaze. The fire was so intense it also involved the house next door. Residents there escaped but weren't surprised to hear their Mrs. Carey wasn't as lucky. When firefighters arrived flames had engulfed the entire building. When they entered, they could feel the heat and hear the fire was throughout the house so they had to retreat. Fire officials say it may take some time before they know what caused the fire. There was a wood burning stove in the home...but officials don't know yet if that was the source.

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Last modified: August 02, 2007