By Authorities have positively identified the two people who died in a Dec. 23 apartment building fire as 64-year-old Gregory Robinson and 36-year-old Cassandra Crowshoe.
That’s according to an update from the Aberdeen Police Department and Aberdeen Fire & Rescue, which was issued Wednesday, Dec. 31.
A definitive cause of death has yet to be determined, Brown County Coroner Brian Koens said Tuesday, Jan. 6.
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Fire Chief Joel Weig said during the Monday, Jan. 5 meeting of the Aberdeen City Council that the investigation into that fire is ongoing and likely will be for some time as the fire department is waiting on some evidence collection.
Last week, Fire Marshal Max Stoltenberg said work was being done to eliminate possible causes.
Prior to the release of the names, Robinson’s daughter Rachel started a memorial fundraiser, confirming her father died in the fire. That GoFundMe can be found at shorturl.at/Fx00W.
Rachel described Gregory as a father of five and grandfather of 16. He was a veteran who had lived in Aberdeen for about 10 years, according to the GoFundMe. The fire destroyed all of his possessions, Rachel said.
Four people were displaced from their homes as a result of the fire, but were uninjured. Donations to help them can be made to The Salvation Army in Aberdeen. The address is 1003 Sixth Ave. S.W., and the phone number is 605-225-7410.
Stoltenberg said Tuesday those folks are still displaced because the apartment building is uninhabitable.
The fire was reported at 2:18 a.m. at 107 Eighth Ave. S.E. Emergency responders were alerted about the fire when a police officer was flagged down by a resident, according to the Aberdeen Police Department.
MORE: One person treated for smoke inhalation in third residential fire in eight days
The second floor of the apartment building was engulfed with flames and smoke when firefighters arrived.
Police officers forced entry into the building, but had to retreat as the result of heavy smoke, according to an APD release issued on Dec. 23.
Other responding agencies included the Aberdeen Rural Fire Department, South Dakota Fire Marshal’s Office, Brown County Emergency Management, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Brown County Communications Center, Brown County Sheriff’s Office, Aberdeen Public Works Department and NorthWestern Energy.
