ARLINGTON An early morning fire in Arlington on Wednesday killed a teenager and left her family without a home to live in.
The Arlington Fire Department responded to the blaze at 309 S. Fourth St. at 5:44 a.m., Chief Trevor Keating said in a Thursday news release. In a call with the Brookings Register, he said five people were in the home at the time an adult female and four children.
Crews were made aware of a person trapped in the basement, he wrote in the release. Upon arrival, fire crews encountered heavy smoke and fire conditions coming from the lower level of the home.
Keating said crews entered the home, but that fire and building conditions forced them to retreat. The woman and three of the children were able to escape, but a 17-year-old girl didnt make it out. The woman was taken to Brookings Health System to be treated for smoke inhalation, he said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it isnt considered suspicious, Keating noted, adding that the residence was a complete loss.
Donations for the Schliesman family are being accepted at CorTrust Bank in Arlington, 114 S Main St., or can be mailed to PO Box 300, Arlington SD 57212.
Numerous agencies assisted with the fire response, including ambulance services from Arlington and Brookings, fire departments from Lake Preston, Volga, Badger and Brookings, the Kingsbury County Sheriffs Office, Kingsbury County Emergency Management and the South Dakota Fire Marshals Office.
The (AFD) wishes to thank all our mutual aid partners who responded to this incident as well as the community and area businesses who donated water and food, Keating wrote in the release.
Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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