BELDING, MI — An elderly woman died after a fire broke out inside her home early Thursday morning.
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A school bus driver passing the home spotted the fire and called it in around 6:15 a.m., according to the fire chief.
When firefighters arrived, they found fire burning through the kitchen, dining room and living room areas of the home.
Crews were familiar with the woman who lived there and believed she was likely still inside. The chief said firefighters had been called to the home four or five times over the previous couple of weeks for medical reasons. He described the woman as elderly, frail and in poor health.
Firefighters immediately went inside to search for her.
Crews were met by flames when they opened the door. After knocking down the flames, heavy smoke reduced visibility to zero.
Because firefighters were familiar with the home and knew where the woman typically spent much of her time, they were able to quickly search that area.
The woman was found on the floor near her chair within minutes. She was already dead.
The chief said no smoke alarms were sounding when firefighters arrived.
Firefighters from Grattan also responded to help provide water at the scene.
The state fire marshal was called in to investigate. As of the chief's interview, officials had not determined what caused the fire.
