See more of the story

A woman died in a predawn house fire in western Minnesota, authorities said.

The blaze struck the home shortly before 6 a.m. Sunday in the 300 block of 1st Street in Miltona, roughly 10 miles north of Alexandria, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said.

The woman, identified Monday as resident Terry L. Gaarsland, was declared dead at the scene by emergency responders.

Authorities have yet to offer an initial indication of the circumstances leading to the two-story home catching fire.

Paul Walsh