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No criminal activity suspected in fatal Evansville fire

EVANSVILLE -- No criminal activity is suspected in the death of a person killed in a fire Thursday morning in Evansville.

“There’s nothing leading us to believe that this is going to be anything other than an unfortunate accident,” Rock County Sheriff’s Capt. Jude Maurer said.

The person likely died of smoke or heat inhalation, he said, and a wood-burning stove was likely the origin of the fire.

An autopsy was done Thursday afternoon in Madison, but the identity of the person has not been released, Maurer said.

Investigators believe they know the identity of the deceased person, he said. But they need to obtain dental records for verification.

The fire broke out at 2:41 a.m. in an Evansville mobile home at 8441 N. Highway 14, Lot 15, across from the Evansville Country Club.

A nearby resident reported the fire after hearing the fire pop and a window break, Maurer said.

The victim, who had been at the home since midnight, didn’t escape the residence, he said.

Officials found the home ravaged in flames and were unable to enter.

Nearby homes were evacuated, but no one else was injured, Maurer said.

Firefighters found the body in the home’s bedroom area after extinguishing the flames, he said.

The mobile home was a total loss, but the value of the home was unknown, Evansville Fire Chief Mike Halvensleben said.

The state fire marshal was not called to help with the investigation.

Meanwhile, a second fire broke out at 8:34 a.m. Thursday in an Evansville home at 125 Highland St., Halvensleben said.

The fire started in a coffee maker in the kitchen, he said, and heavy smoke damaged the house.

No one was home at the time, Halvensleben said, and no one was injured.

Twenty-two firefighters in Evansville responded to both fires, he said.

“We really don’t have that many fires in the city of Evansville,” Halvensleben said. “To have two in one day, it’s not very normal to us. We used everything we had.”

Stoughton and Brooklyn firefighters, sheriff’s deputies, Evansville police and several EMS agencies also assisted on the calls.