A 71-year-old Dowagiac woman is dead after a Tuesday night fire.
It happened at a home in the 100-block of Hendrix Street just before 11:00 p.m. Firefighters say flames were shooting out of the building when they arrived.
Investigators say Lola Dodson called for help using a medical alert monitoring services. She was taken from the home by firefighters and taken to Borgess Lee Memorial Hospital, where she later died from smoke inhalation.
Investigators says they believe the fire was an accident. They found the fire started in a kitchen trash container and may have been caused by discarded smoking materials.
Investigators also say there were no working smoke detectors in the home.
