Firefighters struggled with a ‘stubborn’ blaze overnight that ended with fatal results. Crews responded to 1738 West 20th Street, behind Black Diamond Flooring, just after midnight to find a single family home heavily involved in fire. In the course of battling the blaze they found the body of a woman. Siuslaw Valley Fire Marshall Sean Barrett says they don’t have a positive identification yet this morning, nor a cause of death, but it’s probable that the woman was the 75-year old occupant of the home.
Barrett said firefighters needed four hours to extinguish the blaze, the cause of which has not yet been determined. He said it appeared to have started near the kitchen or laundry room where the woman was found. Police are involved and investigating because of some suspicious traffic along 20th Street, just west of Highway 101 where there were reports of a car “racing” up and down the street, possibly colliding with parked cars. The Oregon State Fire Marshall’s Office is aiding in the investigation.