A woman died in a house fire in rural Becker County early Wednesday morning, authorities say.
Another resident who was able to escape the blaze alerted a passing driver that someone might still be inside.
The fire was reported at about 4:25 a.m. on Feb. 18 in Osage, about 30 miles east of Detroit Lakes, according to the Becker County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said a male resident flagged down a passing motorist on State Highway 34, reported the home was on fire and that a woman was possibly still inside. Carsonville Fire and Rescue and the Park Rapids Fire Department responded along with a sheriff’s deputy.
Firefighters later located 79-year-old Anita Charlene Gruel, inside the residence. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Gruel’s son, 48-year-old Charles Lane Gruel, was transported by ambulance to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Park Rapids for treatment of smoke inhalation and possible burns, the sheriff’s office says.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Carsonville Fire and Rescue, Park Rapids Fire Department, the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office and North Memorial Ambulance assisted the Becker County Sheriff’s Office at the scene.
