A woman died in a fatal house fire on Oak Street in Aberdeen Monday afternoon. In an initial briefing, Aberdeen Police Lt. Kevin Darst said they were still in the early stages of investigating and were unsure what caused the fire. As of Monday afternoon, the woman’s name had not been released.

“We have not been able to determine the cause of the fire at this point and have an ongoing investigation,” Darst said.

The first 911 calls reported the fire sometime between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., as neighbors and others who knew the victim noticed large billowing smoke coming from the back of the house.

Multiple witnesses said they tried to enter the back of the house but were forced to retreat when the smoke was overwhelming.

Aberdeen Fire Chief Tom Hubbard said the fire was well under way when the first firetrucks arrived. “When we arrived, the fire was well involved in the rear of the structure, flames venting 20 or 30 feet out of both bedroom windows,” he said. “It was well-involved, so initial crews were defensive to knock the fires down. Then we made entry.”

One eyewitness, 43-year-old Greg Dow, was doing renovation work on a house across the street when he noticed a large amount of smoke.

“I was working across the street and then ran across and called 911,” Dow said. “I went in, got about as far as the hallway, but from that point it was flames the whole way, so I got out.”

This was the first fatal house fire Hubbard recalled in the last two years. Darst said they would be releasing further information on the incident in the near future.