A two-year-old child is dead as a result of an early morning fire at a rural Starke County home. The Bass Lake Fire Department responded to a residence in the area of 700 South and 300 East just before 7:30 a.m. They pulled two adults from the blaze but were unable to find a two-year-old child in time.
Starke County Coroner Kris Rannells identifies him as Lucas F. Fisher. He says an autopsy will be conducted in Fort Wayne, and details will be released about his cause of death once it is complete.
Both survivors were initially taken to IU Health Starke Hospital before being transferred to Fort Wayne. Their conditions are not immediately known. An investigator from the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office has tentatively ruled the fire accidental, but it is still under investigation. The North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Department, Starke County EMS and Starke County Sheriff’s Department all assisted. Dispatchers with the Starke County Sheriff’s Department advise the fire department left at 1:11 p.m.
