Names released, Valley City man dies Sunday AM fire

UPDATE… VALLEY CITY, N.D.

Water heater may be cause of fire   (AP) –  85 year old Art Kirschenmann has died from injuries suffered in a house fire in Valley City.

Fire Chief Gary Retterath says it appears the blaze broke out shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday in the home’s basement.

Retterath says  the body of Kirschenmann has been sent to the State Forensic Examiner’s Office for an autopsy to determine his cause of death.

Kirschenmann’s wife  Arlene, was injured in the fire, and was reported  in fair condition in a Fargo hospital, Monday.

State fire marshal investigator, Ken Sisk said Monday the cause of the fire is still under investigation and didn’t know when a determination will be made.

Previously….

Valley City (CSi)  –  The Barnes County Sheriff’s Office reports,  a man was killed and a woman was injured in a 3-a.m. Sunday  fire in a two story single family home in the 200 block of Sixth Street Northwest in Valley City.

Fire Chief Gary Retterath says a male occupant was found dead in the basement.  A woman who lived in the house was able to get out and knock on neighbors’ doors until someone answered and called to report the fire.

Retterath says,  a retired couple was in the home.   The husband died, and  his the wife was taken to Mercy Hospital and reportedly is listed in fair condition, on Sunday afternoon.

Authorities haven’t yet identified the victims.

Retterath says the man’s body has been sent to the North Dakota State Forensic Examiner’s Office for an autopsy to determine his cause of death.

The  preliminary investigation, indicates that it appears the fire started in the basement and the man most likely went downstairs to check on it but didn’t make it out. The fire spread quickly throughout the home, spreading to the attic.

Retterath and a deputy state fire marshal will continue the  investigation in the home on Monday to look into possible causes.

No pets occupied the home, and the house was heavily damaged beyond repair.

No other buildings were damaged.

Retterath says about 20 firefighters and five units responded to the call. He says the firefighters had the fire under control within about 45 minutes of arriving on scene.

Fire crews  cleared the scene by the early Sunday afternoon.

Retterath says this was the first time he had a fatality at a house fire. He says after all the firefighters returned to the station from the scene, they had a debriefing with the Valley City Fire Department’s chaplain.

The Valley City Police Department was at the scene to help handle traffic near the home. The Red Cross provided additional aid.