Fatal house fire kills one in Sunrise Beach, victim identified

UPDATE 10:24 A.M.: The victim has been identified as 52-year-old Joseph Anthony Menzel of Sunrise Beach.

ORIGINAL STORY: A house fire in Sunrise Beach killed one person Wednesday afternoon after they suffered respiratory injuries.

The Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District responded to the call within six minutes, but when rescue crews arrived at the house on Range Lane, the single-family home was already in flames. Fire crews said the house was located down a long driveway, and there was no fire hydrant readily available. The fire chief said the heat and busyness of the holiday made their job much more difficult.

“The heat definitely made our job tougher. Yesterday was one of the hottest days of the summer, and we needed to bring back off-duty personnel,” said Chief Dennis Reilly in a press release.

Officials said they are still investigating what caused the fire, but they think it was accidental.

The name of the victim has not yet been released.