A woman was found dead in a St. Paul apartment Thursday afternoon when firefighters responded to a call about smoke in the unit.
The cause of death is being investigated by the Ramsey County medical examiner, and it's too early to say whether it's linked to a small fire in the apartment, said fire marshal Steve Zaccard, a fire department spokesman.
Zaccard said the woman's friend called authorities about 12:30 p.m. to report light smoke coming from the apartment in the 300 block of Cottage Avenue. The friend had stopped by to visit the woman.
When firefighters entered the apartment, they found that a small fire in the living room had burned itself out. The woman was found dead on the kitchen floor.
"The fire was relatively small," Zaccard said. "There had been considerable smoke in the apartment."
The fire was caused by an unattended candle, one of the leading causes of fires in Minnesota, Zaccard said.
The cause of the fire does not appear suspicious, he said.
