The Hutchinson Fire Department responded to a house fire shortly before 4 a.m. on Friday.
When crews arrived, they found a home engulfed in flames and was threatening two nearby homes. Crews used Vent Enter Search operations in the home to check for injured residents, but then they fell back to a defensive attack to fight the fire and protect the two nearby homes.
The fire department said that they had the fire under control in approximately 90 minutes.
Crews from the public works department were brought in to assist in the removal of debris and the process of removing the victim from the home. The residence was occupied at the time of the fire by an adult victim and one dog, both were found deceased.
One victim was located inside the structure. The department had to bring in a structural collapse team and special equipment to shore up a load bearing wall and chimney before they could remove the victim and complete extinguishment of the fire.
Fire department officials say that the structure is a complete loss, and the two nearby residences were damaged but remain habitual.
The nearby residences were occupied at the time of the fire, but there were no injuries to those residents or to the firefighters. The HFD investigator and the State Fire Marshal are on scene to determine the cause of the fire and a medical examiner from Wichita has been brought in to assist with the investigation.
At this time, the cause of the fire remains undetermined.
Crews will remain on scene for multiple hours, please avoid the area.
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