An afternoon fire at a Springfield townhouse left one person dead today, according to officials.
Firefighters were called to the 900 block of S. Springfield Avenue sometime around noon for a basement fire in a two and half story structure.
Upon arrival, crews encountered heavy fire in the basement of the town home.
A search of the property revealed that an unidentified person -possibly a contractor - died in the fire.
At this point, there is no indication that the fire should be considered suspicious but the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The blaze was contained to the basement causing only smoke damage to a second unit.