53-year-old ID’d as fire victim; Fatality is 2nd this year in Austin
Published 10:57 am Monday, December 28, 2015
Debris lays outside a home in 2100 block of 16th Street SE Saturday morning. A fire there Friday afternoon resulted in the death of one individual. — Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
An Austin woman has been identified as the victim who died in a fire on Christmas Day.
Sherry Jo Fisher, 53, died Dec. 25 at her home at 2106 16th St. SE as a result of the house fire, according to Mower County Sheriff Terese Amazi. An autopsy on Saturday at Mayo Clinic Health Systems — Rochester stated the preliminary cause of death as smoke inhalation, fire and other medical issues.
The State Fire Marshal’s office is still investigating the cause of the house fire, which occurred just after 3 p.m. Friday.
A family member arrived at the home to visit and bring food, but upon opening the door found black smoke and called 911.
The Austin Fire Department was dispatched around 3:10 p.m. to the fire. The Lyle Fire Department and Gold Cross also responded. When deputies arrived, the home was fully engulfed in flames, according to Amazi. Fisher lived alone and was the only person in the home at the time, according to the report.
“Crews attempted to gain entry, but were pushed out,” Austin Fire Chief Jim McCoy told the Herald Saturday. “They tried a different door, were able to knock the fire down and found the victim and brought the victim out.”
However, Fisher was deceased by that time, according to the report.
Damages from the fire were estimated at $60,000, according the Austin Fire Department.
It’s the second holiday in a row that there was a fatal fire in Austin. On Thanksgiving, Jorge Abeyta, 43, died from smoke inhalation during a fire on the 1900 Block of Oakland Avenue East.
Fatal fires have spiked in Minnesota this year, killing at least 53 people compared with 44 in 2014, according to data from the state fire marshal’s office and news reports.
