AVOYELLES PARISH — State Fire Marshal deputies are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding a weekend house fire in Bunkie that claimed the life of the sole occupant of the home.
The SFM says that this incident was the first fire fatality of 2021.
At around 1:45 p.m. on January 2, the Bunkie Fire Department responded to a report of residential fire located in the 4300 block of Highway 1176. Firefighters later located the body of a woman in a bedroom. Official identification is still pending, but it is believed that the victim is the 66-year-old homeowner.
Deputies have determined the fire originated in the attic over the home’s den. While the official cause of this fire remains undetermined, SFM investigators are unable to rule out a possible electrical malfunction as a contributing factor.
It is unknown whether this home had working smoke alarms at the time of the fire.
The State Fire Marshal's Office says that firefighters had to work through excessive contents inside of the home, not only to locate the victim, but to extinguish this fire safely.
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