Woman dies in Ironwood house fire

IRONWOOD — An Ironwood woman was killed in a fire at her home early Easter Sunday morning.


Kimleigh Abigail Tucker, 51, lived at 220 E. Coolidge Ave. in Ironwood. The Ironwood Public Safety Department reported they were dispatched at 4:23 a.m. CDT Sunday to a fire at the residence. A neighbor had observed smoke and flames coming from the home, and called 911. The neighbor was able to enter the home and rescue two dogs near the doorway, but could not go any further because of heavy smoke and flames, police said.


A few minutes later, personnel from Beacon Ambulance and the Ironwood Fire Department arrived, finding the second story of the residence fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters entered the residence using air packs and found Tucker on a second floor landing at the head of a stairway. Her cause of death had not yet been officially determined this morning. Tucker lived alone in the home, police said.


A Michigan State Police fire marshal investigated the fire Sunday and determined the cause of the blaze was the improper use of an electrical power strip leading to a space heater in an upstairs bedroom of the home, police said.


The fire was brought under control by 6 a.m., police said. Twelve public safety officers and seven firefighters battled the blaze. They were assisted at the scene by the Hurley Police Department, the Gogebic County Sheriff’s Department, Xcel Energy, and the American Red Cross.