Authorities on Monday released the identity of a 69-year-old woman who died in a house fire in Inver Grove Heights.
Burns and smoke inhalation killed Judy D. Lawrence, whose home in the 6400 block of Delilah Avenue caught fire Thursday night.
Police and fire personnel were dispatched to the home to the west of Concord Boulevard about 9:20 p.m., according to a statement from the Fire Department.
"Within one minute, an Inver Grove Heights police officer arrived and reported the house was engulfed in flames," the statement read.
The officer attempted to go inside and look for any occupants, "but the heat and smoke prevented entry," the statement continued.
The fire was put out within 10 minutes, and that allowed for Lawrence's body to be recovered.
Authorities have not revealed how the fire began in the 1½-story home, which was built in 1894 and had slightly more than 900 square feet of living space, according to Dakota County property records.
Lawrence was coping with dementia at the time of her death and was being taken care of by Sherry Robinette, who also lived in the house and escaped the blaze, a onetime in-law said.
