Woman dies in White Cloud house fire

WHITE CLOUD, Mich. (WOOD) - Authorities in Newaygo County are investigating a house fire that resulted in the death of a woman.

Newaygo County Sheriff's Office identified the victim as 86-year-old Josephine Schondelmayer.

A 911 caller alerted authorities of the fire around 2 a.m. Wednesday and said they believed someone was still inside. Firefighters from three departments were dispatched to Schondelmayer's home in the 500 block of S. Silver Drive in White Cloud.

When they arrived, the fire was wild and moving quickly inside the home.

"Because the fire department had so many issues getting the fire out, they had to call excavators in here to tear the walls down and get to the hotspots," Michigan State Police Fire Investigator Trever Slater told 24 Hour News 8.

Once the flames were extinguished, officials found Schondelmayer's body. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The rubble from the destroyed home is making it difficult for authorities to determine the cause of the blaze, but they think the fire started in the kitchen area, which is directly above the furnace.

The severity of the fire is also making it difficult to determine if the house was equipped with active smoke detectors.