Authorities confirmed Monday that a woman who died in a St. Paul house fire last week was one of the homeowners.
After a 911 call about 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, officers and firefighters responded to the St. Anthony Park neighborhood. A man told police his wife was still inside the home with their dogs.
Firefighters found Sylvia C. Ruud, 79, deceased in the living room, which is where the fire started in the home on Buford Avenue near Grantham Street. Paramedics took her husband, Thomas Ruud, to a hospital for treatment. Their two dogs died in the fire.
A preliminary investigation indicated smoking as the cause and the home did not have smoke detectors, said Assistant Fire Chief Jeramiah Melquist. Smoking is the leading cause of fatal fires in Minnesota.
Thomas and Sylvia Ruud lived in their home for many years, said Thomas’ brother, Dennis Ruud. Sylvia Ruud was a long-time employee at Luther Seminary, where she edited newsletters and did office work, he said.
Sylvia Ruud’s death was the sixth fire fatality in St. Paul this year, including four children who perished after a fire in their home on Jan. 3. An 83-year-old man died after a fire in his home last month. The city usually averages two to three fatal fires per year.