Woman found dead after house fire in Wyoming
WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) — A woman was found dead after a fire broke out at a house in Wyoming early Thursday.
She was identified as 42-year-old Sara Martin, the only person who lived in the home.
It happened on Collingwood Avenue SW near Lee Street. By the time firefighters were called around 4:45 a.m., the fire had already spread to a “significant” portion of the home, a release from the Wyoming Police Department said. Surveillance video from a neighbor viewed by News 8 showed flames rising from the roof.
Firefighters started putting water on the house and went in to search for victims. Wyoming Fire Department Chief Dennis Van Tassell said no one was found during a primary search of the home, but Martin’s body was found in the upper level during a secondary search after the fire was knocked down.
Later Thursday morning, News 8 saw an upper window blown out, damage to the roof and charred debris on the ground. Van Tassell said the window had been broken by a firefighters as a ventilation technique while extinguishing the flames. The house was surrounded by yellow crime scene tape. There was a fire truck, fire marshal and three police cruisers parked in front. Michigan State Police brought in a dog to search the scene.
Investigators say they’re still working to learn what caused the the fire and whether or not foul play was involved.
When asked if police had reason to believe the fire was suspicious, Capt. Timothy Pols with the Wyoming Police Department said, “at this point, no. … A death investigation such as this is serious and we want to be able to rule out foul play and that’s just part of the routine investigation.”
Police asked for anyone with information to reach out to Wyoming detectives at 616.530.7300 or Silent Observer at 616.774.2345.
Van Tassell said firefighters found one working smoke detector in the home. He recommended all residents install working smoke detectors in every bedroom and on every level of a house.
“The Wyoming Fire Department can assist you in placing fire alarms where they need to be placed,” he added.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article misspelled Sara Martin’s first name based on the spelling provided by Wyoming police. It has been corrected based on information from family.
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