Cause of deadly CdA fire under investigation

The cause of a weekend fire that killed two people and leveled a home 9 miles southwest of downtown Coeur d’Alene is still under investigation.

Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Jeff Howard said the sheriff’s office will release the names of the deceased after the Kootenai County Coroner’s Office identifies them.

Fire investigators will be back at the scene early next week to collect more evidence, according to an updated sheriff’s office news release Tuesday.

Sheriff’s office dispatchers received several phone calls about 7:25 p.m. Sunday reporting a possible explosion and fire in the 8600 block of West Carnie Road, which is off U.S. Highway 95 in the Mica Flats area, according to the initial sheriff’s office release.

Firefighters and sheriff’s deputies responded and found the home fully engulfed in flames. Several hours later when the fire was extinguished, rescuers searched the property. One of the victims was found during the search, and the second victim was found hours later in the rubble in a subsequent search, the sheriff’s office said.

Idaho State Fire Marshal Knute Sandahl said his office, with help from the sheriff’s office, is investigating the origin and cause of the fire.

The house burned to the ground, with scraps of metal and other rubble remaining. Yellow caution tape roped off entrances to the property Tuesday.