FAIRBORN — A house fire claimed the life of Bessie Elizabeth Barnett, 49.
The cause of death is still under investigation by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.
The Fairborn Fire Department responded to the call at approximately 1:25 a.m. June 25 on North Haven Dr., where they found smoke and fire billowing out windows and roof of the single-family home, according to the City of Fairborn. Our news partners at WDTN reported that crews told the station that the fire appears to have started in the bedroom. WDTN also reported that crews did not observe an audible fire alarm when arriving to the scene. The city said the cause of the fire is currently being investigated by the state fire marshal.
According to the City of Fairborn, firefighters knocked down the bulk of the fire from outside the structure and entered the building to conduct a search. Crews located Barnett and removed her from the home, where Fairborn said she was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the City of Fairborn, no other occupants were in the structure at the time of the fire.
“ … We were able to fight the fire enough to get in and do a good primary search,” Fairborn Fire Department Chief Dave Reichert told WDTN. “That’s where we located the victim.”
The fire was extinguished by 2:32 a.m., according to Fairborn. Fire crews from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Riverside and Huber Heights also responded to the scene.
