A portable heater may be to blame for a house fire Wednesday in Kosciusko County that left one person dead.
It happened around 10:30 Wednesday morning in the 2000 block of Chapman Lake Drive. It took crews close to four hours to put out the flames, which started spreading to a home next door.
Two of the three people inside escaped without injury and called for help. One person did not make it out alive.
Fire crews discovered a body inside the burning home, and are now working to ID the victim. Investigators said Thursday the blaze appears to have started in the basement.
The night before the fire, the water lines had frozen, and a portable heater was used to try to thaw the pipes. Evidence at the scene indicates that the blaze broke out near that area.
