Fatal fire appears to have been accidental, investigators say

The residential fire that killed one person in Nokomis on Monday appears to have been accidental, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

At about 5:30 p.m. Monday, the Sarasota County and Nokomis fire departments responded to a report of a fire in the 700 block of Florence Street in Nokomis. Fire crews extinguished the blaze before it spread to other homes. However, they later discovered a body inside the home.

According to the sheriff’s office, the State Fire Marshal’s preliminary investigation indicated that the fire appears to have been accidental.

“Further, detectives strongly believe the incident is not the result of foul play,” sheriff’s office spokeswoman Kaitlyn Perez said in a news release.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the victim had not been identified.

“Due to the condition of the decedent, detectives will continue to work in partnership with the Medical Examiner’s Office to confirm identity and determine an official cause of death,” Perez said.

This story was originally published January 16, 2018 at 2:25 PM with the headline "Fatal fire appears to have been accidental, investigators say."