One person died in a house fire in Quasqueton early Sunday.
The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office says shortly after 3 am, they received a 911 call of a fire in the 700 block of East Cedar Street. The 911 caller reported that, while letting their dogs out, they observed flames coming from a nearby residence.
Sheriff’s deputies and Quasqueton fire personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene, with Independence and Winthrop fire departments and AMR Ambulance Service also responding. A deputy was the first to arrive on the scene and reported flames coming from windows and the soffit of the home. Two bystanders pointed to a window that had flames coming from it – they said that they were aware of a woman who lived at the home and that the window was that of her bedroom. The deputy went around the home to see if entry could be made as fire personnel were arriving on scene. Due to significant heat and smoke, they weren’t able to immediately enter the home.
Once the fire was contained, emergency personnel found a woman inside the home. Life-saving measures were attempted, but she was later pronounced dead. The woman has been identified as 69-year old Kathryn Marie Crawford of Quasqueton.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
