Heartbreaking House Fire in Minden Claims the Life of a Child

Tragedy in Minden. A child has died in a house fire that happened early Wednesday morning on Cadillac Street.

Minden Fire Chief Brian Williams says his firefighters got the call around 2 a.m., and when they arrived on scene, more than half the house was engulfed in flames.

Chief Williams says “our response time was less than 4 minutes. It was an inhabited dwelling, and we were aware of the victim and the location inside the house. It was only a matter of a couple of minutes before we had the flames knocked down enough to enter the residence.”

Williams sent two teams inside – one to fight the fire and one to search for the girl.

She was pronounced dead after arrival at Minden Medical Center.

Preliminary findings from fire marshal's investigators indicate the fire originated in the living room/dining room area. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation. Officials have confirmed the home did not have a working smoke alarm at the time of the incident

“This is a heartbreaking reminder that fires can turn deadly in a matter of minutes, especially when there is no early warning,” said state Fire Marshal Bryan J Adams. “Working smoke alarms give families the critical time they need to escape safely. We strongly urge every household to install and maintain smoke alarms on every level of the home and inside sleeping areas.”