14-year-old girl found dead after fire in NW Indiana home

A 14-year-old girl was found dead Sunday morning after a fire broke out in a home in Lake Station, Indiana.

Firefighters responded about 5:30 a.m. to a report of a house fire in the 100 block of East 29th Avenue, according to a statement from Lake Station police.

Officers were told that someone may have still been inside the house, but due to the intensity of the fire, rescue crews were not able to enter the building, police said.

Layona Dragash, 14, was later found dead on the second story of the home, authorities said.

Dragash, who lived on the same block as the fire, was pronounced dead at the scene at 9 a.m., the Lake County coroner’s office said. An autopsy Sunday did not rule on the cause or manner of the girl’s death, with final results pending further investigation.

Anyone with information on the fire is asked to contact Lake Station police at (219) 962-1186.