09/24/13 Plymouth Fire Chief Rod Miller released the cause of Sunday’s fatal house fire.
The Plymouth Fire Department was dispatched at 5:20 a.m. to 459 Alexander Street for a reported house fire. Units from the fire department arrived on scene six minutes later and found flames venting through the windows on both the east and west side of the house. The home is owned by Elinor Barber.
Entry was made into the house and the fire was brought under control in approximately twenty minutes. During the course of extinguishing the blaze firefighters located 21 year old Anthony Johnson in the attached garage at the rear of the home. The Marshall County Coroner’s preliminary report indicates the Johnson died of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning.
An investigation by the Plymouth Fire Department, Plymouth Police Department and the Indiana State Fire Marshall’s Office on the origin and cause found the fire to be electrical and accidental. An over-lowed electrical outlet with an extension cord being used in an improper manner had failed under a couch in the garage.
Fire Chief Rod Miller stated, “There were no working smoke detectors in the residence.” The fire investigation is now closed.
It has been nearly 14 years since the City of Plymouth has had a fatal residential fire. In December of 1999 Dick Cushman and his grandson were overcome by smoke and died in a house fire on North Michigan Street. In March of 1998 two people died in a house fire at 3rd Washington and before that the Mr. and Mrs. Jones died in a house fire on Oak Hill Avenue in 1996.
