Bloomington man dies in fire early Friday
It was just after midnight Friday when a 911 call reported a fire at Bloomington's Evergreen Village assisted-living complex. One resident died, and the State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating what caused the blaze.
Rickey Harper, 66, died from injuries sustained in the fire, according to Monroe County Coroner Joani Stalcup. The cause and manner of death are pending results of an autopsy scheduled for Saturday, she said.
Some residents of the three-story apartment building in the 3600 block of South Heirloom Drive, which is off South Sare Road, were evacuated because of dense smoke.
A Bloomington Police Department report said heavy smoke was coming from the second-floor when first-responders arrived. Firefighters located Harper inside his apartment, where the smoke originated.
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He was taken by ambulance to IU Health Bloomington Hospital and pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m., the report said.
Details about what caused the fire were not available Friday afternoon from the Bloomington Fire Department.
Evergreen Village has 115 studio and one-bedroom affordable apartments for senior citizens. It opened in the spring of 2018.
Contact H-T reporter Laura Lane at 812-318-5967 or llane@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington, IN, man dies in fire at assisted-living apartment Friday
