A vehicle fire that occurred in the Grovertown area on Wednesday claimed the life of the occupant inside.
Approximately 20 minutes before midnight on Wednesday, August 8th a caller advised 911 that there was a fire in the woods behind someone’s residence in the 9500 east block of 200 north.
Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Department as well as members of the Washington Township Fire Department were initially dispatched to the scene.
Detective Sergeant Don Ferguson with the Starke County Sheriff’s Department reports that when the first Sheriff’s Department officer arrived at the specified location, they found a jeep fully engulfed in flames.
Members of the Washington Township Fire Department, assisted by Hamlet Firefighters went to work extinguishing the flames. Detective Sergeant Ferguson noted that the fire was put out around 11:58 p.m. It was at that time that first responders reportedly noticed there was a person in the driver’s seat with fatal injuries.
Starke County Coroner Dannie Hoffer was called to the scene. He noted that at this time, the identity and gender of the individual are unknown. Hoffer added that an autopsy will be conducted on Friday.
Meanwhile, officials are still working to determine the cause of the fire. The incident remains under investigation with the Starke County Sheriff’s Department, the Coroner’s Office and the State Fire Marshal’s Office. More information will be provided as soon as it becomes available.
