Woman dies after house fire in Tooele
Nov 29, 2022, 1:53 PM | Updated: Nov 30, 2022, 9:35 am
TOOELE, Utah — Tooele police confirmed that an elderly woman died after crews found her inside a home that caught fire Tuesday morning.
Corporal Colbey Bently of the Tooele Police Department said the fire was near 450 W. 500 South.
A caller reported the fire at approximately 10:45 this morning.
“When they got here, they were able to see flames coming from the house and they were told that there was a female that was still inside the house,” Bentley said.
One person deceased in a house fire in #Tooele.. Working to gather details now for #KSLTV pic.twitter.com/FkwfgrEBEg
— Derek Petersen (@Derek_Photog) November 29, 2022
“Two officers made entry into the home, but due to extreme heat and heavy smoke, they retreated,” he said. “The Tooele City Fire Department was able to extinguish the fire.”
Initial information from Tooele Police indicated the woman was found dead inside the home but a Facebook post later said, “The female was located inside the house. Life saving measures were attempted but sadly, the female passed away.”
The department extended “our deepest condolences at this time to them.”
“Everybody loved her”
Neighbors react to the death of a Tooele woman who was pulled from her home that caught fire.
The woman, who is in her 70s, uses a wheelchair. She passed away after being found with a faint pulse once the fire was out.
LIVE update next at 6pm @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/id0XDgki0Y
— Ladd Egan (@laddegan) November 30, 2022
“You can’t prepare for this,” said Russ Hansen, the local bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Hansen said the heartbroken neighborhood is joining together to help the woman’s family.
“Everybody speaks highly of her,” Hansen said. “She’s had many different callings and different service opportunities in the church and everybody loved her.”
“It’s a tight-knit community,” Bentley said. “They’re a well-known family here, so to have something like this happen — our community feels it. It’s a tough loss for us.”
Police have not released the victim’s name.
The Tooele police and fire departments responded along with the State Fire Marshal.
They will be on scene to investigate and determine a cause.
A GoFundMe* page has been set up to help raise funds for the family.
*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
