One person dead after house fire in Palmetto. ‘Nobody could have survived,’ chief says
A fire early Tuesday morning left one dead at a house near Palmetto, fire officials say.
North River Fire District responded to a call at 4:29 a.m. to a single-story house at the 5700 block of 37th Ave. East in Manatee County.
Firefighters found tthe back two bedrooms were engulfed in flames, with fire through the roof.
The back bedroom, which is where one person died, was “completely gone” and appeared to be the origin of the fire, which also extended into the main part of the house, Fire Chief Joe Sicking said.
No one else appeared to be in the house.
Crews were able to make a quick entry and search the main part of the house, but were unable to enter the bedrooms because of the fire.
“Nobody could have survived in the room,” Sicking said. “But they searched the searchable portions of the house and after a search it was determined that no one could be found alive inside.”
Sicking estimates that around 30% of the house was likely destroyed in the 1 alarm fire, with the majority of the damage occurring in the two bedrooms.
The State Fire Marshal was called to the scene and will be investigating the fire. A cause has yet to be determined.
This story was originally published June 13, 2023 at 11:06 AM.
