An 84-year-old woman died in her Eagan home after a fire there on Nov. 24.
Patricia Evelyn Woldanski was found inside the home after the Orion Township Fire Department responded to the scene at about 2:40 a.m.
Orion Fire Chief Jeff Key said the home was fully involved in flame when they arrived.
‘It appeared it had been burning for some time,? he said. ‘It was a one-story home, about 1,000 square feet.?
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department, a neighbor of Woldanski’s called 911 after a stranger knocked on her door.
The neighbor said she did not know the man who woke her up and told her Woldanski’s house was on fire.
She told the OCSD she saw flames in the lower part of the home and called 911.
OCSD deputies arriving on the scene observed flames coming from the roofline vents, as well as heavy black smoke coming from numerous parts of the home.
Woldanski’s neighbor told the OCSD she believed the woman was home because she had observed her light on earlier,and that she lived alone in the home.
Woldanski’s granddaughter arrived on the scene, and said she had last spoken to her grandmother at 10:30 p.m. that night.
She said her grandmother seemed fine at the time, and she was concerned her grandmother had been inside the home at the time of the fire.
Key said the home was a total loss in the fire, and that he couldn’t give out specific details about the death of Woldanski, who lived alone in the home with several pets.
‘Unfortunately several cats died in the fire,? he said. ‘One dog escaped.?
Key requested a fire investigator at the scene, and said the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.