Montgomery Township couple perishes in house fire

Two Montgomery Township residents were killed in a house fire early Sunday morning.

Roman Jindra, 76, and Betty Jindra, 73, were found in the kitchen area of a house on Jindra Lane in Montgomery Township around 1 a.m. Sunday, July 14. Le Sueur County Sheriff's Office dispatchers received a report of a structure fire at the house at 12:54 a.m. Betty Jindra called 911 and reported the house was on fire and she and Roman were trapped inside the residence, according to a press release from the sheriff's office.

The first arriving deputy attempted to enter the residence but was driven back by heavy smoke and heat. The Montgomery Fire Department arrived on scene and firefighters in protective clothing and breathing apparatus entered the residence and found a man and a woman in the kitchen area. The victims were removed from the house and brought outside, where emergency medical services staff attempted life-saving efforts on both the victims, however they were pronounced deceased at the scene. Deputies positively identified the victims.

Firefighters extinguished the fire and vented smoke from the residence and completed salvage and overhaul operations. Sheriff Brett Mason reported the bodies of Roman and Betty Jindra will be sent to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy, to determine the cause and manner of death. The state fire marshal's were called to the scene to assist the sheriff’s office in determining the cause and origin of the fire.