GREENLAND -- The remains of an unidentified person were removed Thursday afternoon from a rural home near Greenland after a fire destroyed the structure.
Multiple volunteer fire departments in the area were sent shortly after 1:30 p.m. to the end of Daisy Lane, which runs through an unincorporated area between Greenland and Hogeye.
By 3 p.m., little remained of the house beyond a pile of white ash on a concrete foundation, with blackened appliances poking out between flames and columns of smoke. Crews sprayed water on the home's northern section, cooling it enough to send in two men with a stretcher. The remains were removed about 4 p.m.
Lt. Emily Augustine with the Washington County Sheriff's Office said the body was the only confirmed fatality. The remains were sent to the State Crime Lab for identification and cause of death, she said. The office was preserving the scene Thursday evening and investigating the fire's cause.
The property is across the lane from 10195 Daisy Lane. It remains unclear if the person lived there or died beforehand. A pickup near the house, its rear lights melted by the heat, held a layer of pine needles and wood in its bed where small plants were growing, suggesting it hadn't been driven for some time.
A driver's license in the pickup belonged to a 52-year-old man, said Dennis Ledbetter, county fire marshal. It was unknown if the license belonged to the person found in the house.
"We've got a lot of unknowns right now," Ledbetter said.
Emergency responders from West Fork, Farmington, Nob Hill, Prairie Grove and Greenland came to the scene.
NW News on 08/08/2014