Document text
Elderly woman dies in fire Jim Craven photo Fire investigators look for clues in a burned-out bedroom of a house that was destroyed by fire early Thursday morning that killed an elderly Medford woman. Although investigators are withholding the victim�s identification pending forensic tests, the sole occupant of the home was Mabel Urano. Neighbors remember her fondly as a "tiny bundle of energy." By Chris Bristol Sifting through the rubble for clues, investigators said it could be several days before they figure out what caused a house fire early Thursday morning that claimed the life of an elderly Medford woman. The fire at 303 North Phoenix Road was burning so fiercely by the time it was reported, at 3:47 a.m., that firefighters were driven from the house before they could make a complete search for occupants, authorities said. The woman�s body was discovered later, in a bedroom at the rear of the sprawling single-story house. Investigators believe that�s where the fire started. Official identification of the victim was withheld, pending forensic tests. But neighbors said the only occupant was Mabel Urano, who lived there alone after the death of her husband, Jim, last year. "She missed her husband a lot, but she was doing all right," said Rozanne Hall, who has lived across the street from the Uranos for almost 19 years. "It�s just so awful. And so close to Christmas." It was the second fire fatality this year in Jackson County. In January, a candle left burning in a bedroom started a fire that killed a 10-year-old Eagle Point boy and injured his mother and 2-year-old sister. Medford Fire planning chief Larry Anderson said firefighters arrived at the house, which sits at the corner of North Phoenix and Princeton Way, four minutes after a passing motorist spotted the blaze. The city�s newest fire station is located only a short distance away, near the corner of North Phoenix and Barnett Road. "Unfortunately, it had a good head start on us," Anderson said. "It was already in the attic, and that�s almost never a good sign." Four minutes after arrival, before they could complete a search of the premises, firefighters had to leave because the house was nearly engulfed in flames and the heat was too intense, Anderson said. "We tried to get in the bedroom" where the body was later found, Anderson said, "but it was too hot � too much fire � and the roof was starting to cave in." Although Urano�s car was parked outside the garage, firefighters initially were under the impression she might be out of town. Anderson said some neighbors thought she was visiting a relative in Stockholm, Sweden. The body was found later near the bed, investigators said. As it turned out, it was Urano�s sister, who lives around the corner off Princeton Way, who went to Sweden. At the scene later Thursday morning, investigators concentrated on the bedroom where the body was found. No part of the house escaped damage; the wood-shake roof was almost completely burned out. Fire Inspector Dan Patterson said the victim was not a smoker and the fire did not appear to be caused by candles. Investigators were exploring the possibility of an electrical short-circuit. Al Thelin, a neighbor of the Uranos for 24 years and retired U.S. Bank executive, said he and his wife, Virginia, feared all along that Urano was home. He had seen her Wednesday. "Smoke was just billowing from the place," Thelin said. "It was a terrible situation. There wasn�t anything they (firefighters) could do." Thelin and Hall described Urano as a friendly lady who liked to play bridge, took a brisk walk every morning and worked hard to maintain her late husband�s carefully terraced hillside gardens. "She was a tiny bundle of energy," Hall said. "She was a diabetic, that�s why she walked so much, but aside from that she was very fit, very youthful." Jim Urano was an employee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and neighbors said the Uranos were posted all over the world before they retired to Medford. He died last year at the age of 81. The couple have two sons, both of whom live in Virginia. Al Thelin said Urano flew to the East Coast in October to visit them. "At least the boys had some time with her recently," Thelin said, shaking his head. "Their holidays will be spent in a very sad manner." Thelin said the fire was a disturbing site, knowing Urano was probably home. "It becomes almost personal," he said. "When you care about somebody, somebody you�ve known for many, many years, to see it come to an end like that is just tragic." Reach reporter Chris Bristol at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.