Firefighters Find Body Of Elderly Woman After Overnight House Fire

An overnight fire at a Holy Cross home ended tragically after firefighters found the body of the elderly woman living there.

According to the New Orleans Fire Department, an off-duty firefighter living next door to the woman was awaken by the Chartres Street fire around 11:50 p.m. After alerting NOFD, he attempted to gain entry into the home. As crews arrived at the scene, they saw black smoke emitting from the front and side windows.

When crews entered the home, the rush of oxygen caused a flashover that fed the flames. After getting control of the fire, they were able to extinguish it 32 minutes after it was initially reported. As crews search for anyone in the home, they found an elderly woman trapped under a pile of debris. She was pronounced dead on the scene.

The deparment issued a statement following the incident at the Ninth Ward home.

"Intense fire at extremely high temperatures surged towards the firefighters entering the building," it read in part. "Thankfully (no firefighters) were hurt when this occurred."

The statement went on to say that the elderly woman living in the house did not survive. Her identity has not been released at this time.

"Unfortunately, the resident did not survive and was pronounced deceased on the scene by members of the New Orleans Emergency Medical Services,"

No additional details have been released, but the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Photo: Getty Images