Albemarle County Fire Rescue has identified the victim of a structure fire at 3041 Northwoods Grove Road reported at approximately 1:00 pm on Saturday.
Ruth Hart, 64, of Albemarle County, was declared dead on-scene. No one else was at home at the time of the fire and one dog was rescued from the apartment.
The victim’s spouse and dog are being assisted by Red Cross.
Smoke detectors activated and alerted nearby neighbors to the emergency. The first unit arrived on-scene 4 minutes from time of dispatch. The fire was quickly extinguished and prevented from spreading to adjoining units in the building. No structural damage was caused by the fire. Damage to the apartment unit is estimated to be $30,000.
Investigators determined the cause of the fire to be from smoking materials, such as cigarettes.