UPDATE: Victim was 64-year old Janet Markes.
SYRACUSE -- Fire crews were on the scene of a fatal house fire on the north side of Syracuse early Friday morning.
Syracuse Fire Chief Mark McLees tells CNY Central that Janet Markes, 64, was found dead at a duplex at 600 and 602 2nd North Street, near the intersections with LeMoyne Avenue and Wolf Street.
Onondaga County 911 says the initial call came in around 5:28 a.m. for a residential fire. McLees says firefighters discovered Markes on the third floor of the building while performing a search of the home. Heavy black smoke made it difficult to navigate the home, but they were able to put the fire out in about five minutes.
The house was not heavily damaged by flames, but the local Red Cross chapter says it is is on the scene providing assistance to the families affected by the fire.
McLees says four other people got out of the building safely, including children. No firefighters were injured. The chief says he is not sure if the home had working smoke detectors.
Janet Markes was transported to Upstate University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. No word on a cause of death.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
