Woman dies in Dowagiac house fire

DOWAGIAC, Mich. - One woman died in a house fire in the 32000 block of School St. in Dowagiac Monday evening, according to the Indian Lake Volunteer Fire Department.

At 5:14 p.m., crews were called to the house for a report of a fire with an occupant possibly still inside.

The fire was called in by a bystander, who saw the smoke coming from the house and, along with others, couldn't get to the occupant because of the smoke.

When firefighters arrived, they were met with heavy smoke coming from the front door and window, followed quickly by flames from both locations.

Within 10 minutes, crews found the victim and pulled her from the structure.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Crews stayed at the house until 8:58 p.m. to extinguish the fire and hotspots.

Investigators determined the fire began under a chair in the living room but could not determine what caused it, reports said.

No smoke detectors were inside the home at the time of the fire, according to investigators.