Woman killed in Cedar Rapids fire Thursday morning

CEDAR RAPIDS -- A woman was killed Thursday morning in a garage fire in southwest Cedar Rapids, according to a Cedar Rapids Fire Department news release.

The fire department was called to the 1800 block of Hamilton Street SW at 7:42 a.m. for a fire in a separated garage. The small building was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, and they were unable to safely enter the structure to look for the woman who was believed to be trapped inside.

After several minutes of fighting the fire, it was extinguished enough that rescue teams were able to search the garage, where they found a woman. She was removed from the building and treated on scene, and then taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.

Her name has not been released, pending notification of family.

There was much debris in the structure, which hindered firefighting, according to the release. No firefighters were injured. The cause of the fire still is under investigation.

Cedar Rapids firefighters were assisted on-scene by Cedar Rapids police, Area Ambulance Service, Alliant Energy and Mid-American Energy.

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