Saturday’s fire at a Cottonwood Falls housing development remains under investigation.
Unfortunately, the preliminary indications from an autopsy conducted Sunday show fire was at least partially to blame for the death of 74-year-old Sharon Tatman. Final autopsy results, typically involving toxicology results, may not be available for weeks or months.
The cause and origination point of Saturday’s fire remains under investigation through the Office of Kansas State Fire Marshal. Timing for a final report has not been announced.
The fire destroyed the B building, one of five buildings at the Cottonwood Falls Housing Authority complex on East Eighth, and wiped out four living units, the manager’s office, the mail room and laundry room. Complex manager Dee Wessel says the three residents displaced by the fire have either found lodging with family or are in the process of finding other living arrangements. She tells KVOE News the Housing Authority is working with the USDA’s Rural Development Office on plans to rebuild, and she says she would like to see additional buildings at the complex because of demand recently.
