NEW ORLEANS — A woman was found dead after a house fire burned through the roof of a St. Roch area home Sunday morning, a New Orleans Fire Department spokesperson said.
Someone called 911 to report the fire around 7:55 Sunday morning. The first NOFD company of firefighters was at the home on Elysian Fields Avenue four minutes later.
When firefighters arrived, they immediately began trying to get into the home and extinguish the fire. Firefighters got reports that a person may be trapped in the home as the flames grew.
The first group of firefighters on the scene reported heavy smoke and fire coming from the building.
Four minutes after they arrived, firefighters called for reinforcements.
The fire grew quickly, and crews were forced out of the building before they could help the woman inside.
That's when the fire began burning through the roof.
"Firefighters began to attack the fire with ladder trucks using high volume master streams," an NOFD report said.
The third company of firefighters was called to help at 8:40 a.m.
"Crews were able to stop the fire from spreading further and verify the structure was safe for interior operations," the report said.
During the first search of the home, firefighters found the body of a 65-year-old woman who died as a result of the fire.
"The fire was placed under control at 9:43 a.m. There was one female resident that perished in this fire," the report said. "The New Orleans Emergency Medical Services, Entergy Gas & Electric as well as The New Orleans Police Department also assisted."
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. NOFD did not release the name of the victim.
