Student dies in Terra Trace fire

A 19-year-old IU student died Saturday after an early morning fire broke out at Terra Trace apartments on the 300 block of East 15th Street.

Renee Ohrn, of Gary, Ind., was pronounced dead at IU Health Bloomington Hospital at 4:32 a.m., Monroe County Coroner Nicole Meyer said in a statement.

Ohrn was a resident of Eigenmann Hall on campus, Meyer said, and was staying with a friend at the apartment complex when the fire happened.

Four people were transported to the hospital because of the fire, hospital spokesperson Amanda Roach said. One firefighter and a police officer were injured in the fire.

The names of those injured have not been released and their conditions cannot be determined at this time. An autopsy for Ohrn will be conducted Monday.

Bloomington Fire Department Battalion Chief Rick Petermichel said the fire affected all 12 units in the D building of the complex. As of now, the cause of the fire is unknown.

Senior Mark McWhirter first saw the fire from a hill across the street just before 3 a.m. From his front yard, McWhirter said he saw flames spill from the complex stairwell.

“It wasn’t coming out of any windows or apartments,” he said.

Residents in the C building were asked to leave their apartments around 3:30 a.m. as the flames grew larger.

Around 2 p.m. Saturday, a few residents from buildings C and D returned to gather their things. Picture frames, a snowboard and a rug sat on the hill across from 15th Street. On the opposite side of the building, a charred laptop and black backpack were placed before two residents’ feet.

IU spokesman Mark Land called the fire a tragedy and said the University would do anything it could to help the students who were affected.

“It’s a very sad thing,” Land said. “To lose two students in the same week is very difficult for everyone.”

He said Residential Programs and Services and the Office of the Dean of Students have been working with the Monroe County Red Cross since this morning to support the students who were displaced.

Six students will stay in Forrest Quad Saturday night, with the option to stay for a couple of weeks. If they wish to move into a dorm room for the rest of the semester, Land said the University will work to make that happen and at a reduced rate.

Counseling and Psychological Services remained in Eigenmann Hall Saturday to help distraught students there, he said.

“We’re going to do everything we can,” Land said. “It’s been a tough day in a tough week.”

Continue checking idsnews.com for updates.