Crime & Safety

Woman, 56, Dies in Wyandotte House Fire

"This is just a tragic accident," Wyandotte Fire Department Chief Jeff Carley said Saturday of the blaze that also left a woman and two children without a home.

A 56-year-old Wyandotte woman died Friday night in an accidental house fire that also left her daughter and two grandchildren without a home.

The Wyandotte Fire Department received a call about the blaze at the corner of Maple and 14th Streets at 9:53 p.m., Chief Jeff Carley said Saturday. The entire front of the two-story duplex already was in flames when fire units arrived within 5 minutes, he added.

Iris Shepherd, 56, died in the fire; her daughter and two grandchildren, who live in the upstairs flat, were not home at the time and are staying at a hotel due to damage to their home, Carley said.

While the exact cause could not be determined, a tangle of extension cords and improper handling of a lit cigarette were possible factors in the fire, he said.

"There's no evidence of an arson," Carley said. "This is just a tragic accident."


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