An overloaded power strip caused a house fire that killed a Highgate woman Sunday night.

At 9 pm on September 12, the Highgate Fire Department was dispatched to 115 St Armand Road for a reported structure fire with at least one person trapped inside the building.

When firefighters arrived, they located one of the residents, identified as Keith Ploof, in the driveway and were told that his mother, identified as Sylvia Ploof, was still inside the residence. Firefighters made entry into the building and located and extricated her from the residence. Sylvia Ploof, 84, was transported to the Northwest Medical Center in St Albans where she died from injuries sustained in the fire. Keith Ploof, 64, was transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation related injuries.

The Highgate Fire Department was assisted by Swanton and Franklin Fire Departments.

Investigators determined that the fire began in the living room. An overloaded power strip failed and ignited surrounding combustible materials. There were no working smoke detectors in the residence at the time of the fire. The residence sustained extensive heat and smoke damage throughout the first floor.