PLANTATION, Fla. – A woman has died after a fire was reported Thursday morning at a home in the Plantation Acres, Plantation Fire Lt. Aston Bright confirmed to Local 10 News.
According to Bright, the fire was reported at about 3:45 a.m. at 12355 NW 23rd Ct.
“Upon arrival, crews quickly responded with an interior fire attack,” Bright said in an email to Local 10. “During a primary search, they found one individual inside. She was rescued and immediately treated by paramedics and was transported to Westside Regional ER.”
6 p.m. report:
The woman, who was transported to the hospital in critical condition, has since died. A detective with the Plantation Police Department told Local 10′s Saira Anwer that the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death remain under investigation.
The home is owned by Dr. Karen Ruthman, who runs a family medicine practice in Weston. The office was suddenly closed and empty Thursday on the heels of the tragedy.
Aimee Laclaustra lives nearby and said she was an acquaintance of the family.
“I’ve been in that house. I’ve practically grew up here and I’m close with the family,” she said. “One thing I just want to speak about is I want to make sure the investigation continues and they don’t write it off as an accident, because it was just too sudden.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
“It’s very sad – very sad,” one neighbor told Anwer.
Fire crews confirmed there was only one person found inside the home.
“Nerve-wracking -- you know, it’s scary,” one neighbor said.
Noel True was just at the home on Wednesday to finish up on a project to replace a front fountain for Ruthman and her husband, who he says lived there too.
Ruthman’s husband is also a doctor based in Plantation.
True said everything always seemed normal during his visits.
No other details were immediately released.