Two people found dead after house fire in south Lincoln

Two people are dead following a house fire in south Lincoln early Friday, Lincoln Fire and Rescue confirmed.

By Sara Badura, Brandon Mueting and Matthew Mittlieder

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Two people are dead following a house fire in south Lincoln early Friday, Lincoln Fire and Rescue confirmed.

Crews were called to the home at South 11th and Van Dorn streets just after 4 a.m. following reports of smoke coming from a window. Flames were visible on two sides of the home upon arrival.

Fire was burning heavily in the basement, and the first floor had already been structurally compromised when crews arrived, LFR said.

Officials said hoarding conditions inside the home made access difficult, forcing crews to switch to a defensive attack and fight the fire from outside the structure. The fire was declared under control around 4:59 a.m.

Two people live at the home, according to LFR. One person was found deceased in the basement, and a second occupant was found dead later on during a search around 11:15 a.m., officials said.

The home is a total loss, with an estimated $250,000 in damage, LFR said.

The cause of the fire has not been determined, but officials noted a wood-burning stove in the basement and gas line issues at the home as areas of interest.

Lincoln police, K-9 units, drones and cameras were used to search the structure through exterior openings to locate the second person. Van Dorn Street between 10th and 11th streets remains closed in both directions while the investigation continues.

10/11 News spoke with neighbors who live nearby including Larissa Sazama who has lived in the neighborhood for more than a decade.

“I saw when the fire department had to pull out a chainsaw to cut open the side of the house just to be able to get inside to keep searching,” Sazama said. “It’s gut wrenching.”

Now the house is a reminder of the lives lost in the fire.

“I don’t think it’s going to be easy for us to heal by walking, driving by this house every day of our week and we see the destruction,” Sazama said.

Don McPherson, another neighbor, said the scene is a lot to process.

“Man, it’s incredible,” McPherson said. “That must have been burning for a while because man, that is a lot of damage.”

LFR officials announced Monday that the cause of the fire will be released pending autopsy results.