The exterior of the home at 509 Sherman in Bay City on Sunday, July 3, 2016 following a home fire on Saturday, July 2, 2016 that trapped a woman inside.
Josie Norris | jnorris1@mlive.com
By Cole Waterman | cwaterma@mlive.com
on July 06, 2016 at 4:37 PM
BAY CITY, MI — Authorities have closed their investigation into a Bay City house fire that claimed a woman's life, but the cause of the fire remains unknown.
Bay City Public Safety Deputy Director Thomas Pletzke said the cause of the July 2 fire at 509 S. Sherman St. is considered undetermined. However, investigators have ruled out arson as a possibility, Pletzke said.
A neighbor called 911 at 2:27 p.m. and the first public safety officer was on scene two minutes later, according to Acting Fire Chief Terry Collins. Upon that first officer's arrival, the house was half-involved in flames, Collins said.
"Our initial attack was made very quickly," Collins said. "They had pretty strong, pretty heavy fire conditions."
Collins added that in combination with the initial attack, firefighters performed a primary search of the residence.
"We had no information that yes, there was someone in there, which is quite common," he said.
Firefighters located 47-year-old Kirsten J. Depattey in the rear of the house's first floor, Collins said.
"It was a very well-coordinated patient removal and immediately patient care was provided," he said. Depattey was quickly taken via ambulance to McLaren Bay Region hospital, but she later died.
Pletzke said an autopsy confirmed Depattey died as a result of smoke inhalation.
Firefighters cleared the scene at 8:30 p.m., Collins said. The conflagration left the structure a total loss, he added. The house has an assessed taxable value of $12,791, according to county property records. No one else was home at the time.