A body was found Wednesday afternoon in the remains of a house fire on Chapman Lake Drive, the Kosciusko County Coroner’s Office confirmed. More than 50 firemen from area fire departments and Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department detectives responded Wednesday morning around 10:26 to a call of a house fire at 2147 Chapman Lake Drive in Warsaw. On arrival, responders found the house fully engulfed in flames which spread to a house north of the location. Detectives stated that the residence had one occupant who rented out a portion of the dwelling to two other individuals. “I was doing my taxes when my dog started to bark,” said Gauge McPeak, who lives across the street. “I looked outside and saw two people running from the house while it was on fire.” Those two individuals escaped without injury and called 9-1-1 from a neighboring house. Induvials inside the second home also escaped without injury. Other witnesses said they heard two explosions followed by their electricity shutting off. The Coroner’s office located the remains of a body around 2 p.m. The remains were transported to the North East Indiana Forensic Center at St. Joe Hospital in Fort Wayne. The cause and source of the fire are under investigation by the Leesburg/Plain Township Fire Department with assistance from the Warsaw/Wayne Township Fire Territory. A full assist was provided by North Webster, Winona Lake and Pierceton fire departments. Tankers were also called in as fire crews fought below freezing temperatures. The American Red Cross was on hand to assist families and provide hot coffee and meals to the fire crews as they rotated duties. The investigation is ongoing and a forensic examination could take some time due to the severity of the fire, authorities said.
