CLEVELAND — Firefighters responded to a home on East 61st Street early Friday morning after reports of a cooking fire that filled the residence with smoke.
Crews arrived around 4:50 a.m. to find smoky conditions inside but no structural damage, with the fire limited to the stove area.
Inside, firefighters discovered an elderly female resident in a bedroom in full cardiac arrest.
Despite emergency efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene, firefighter said.
Investigators believe the woman’s death was not directly caused by the fire, and suspect she may have suffered a heart attack while cooking.
The Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the official cause of death.
Fire officials noted that the home’s smoke alarms were not working at the time of the incident.
No firefighters were injured.
