Elderly woman dies in Kendall County house fire, sheriff says

Sheriff’s officials were investigating after a 75-year-old woman died in a house fire in unincorporated Minnoka on Monday, authorities said.

According to the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a home along Hanson Road near Bell Road at around 9:46 a.m. to assist the Lisbon Seward Fire Protection District with a structure fire.

The initial dispatch indicated a woman may still be inside and having trouble trying to exit the home. Flames had fully engulfed the home by the time first responders arrived, and they were unable to enter the residence.

Firefighters extinguished the fire, went inside and located the woman, who was found deceased. She was identified as Sharleen Smith, authorities said.

Sheriff’s officials were conducting an investigation alongside the fire department, the Kendall County Coroner’s Office and the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

As of Monday evening, the official cause and manner of death were pending further investigation and an autopsy.