HUMBOLDT, Neb. — The Richardson County Sheriff’s Office reports that a Humboldt resident died in an early-morning fire on Thanksgiving Day in Humboldt.

First responders were alerted at 4:24 a.m. to a house engulfed in flames.

In a Facebook post, the Humboldt Volunteer Fire says  an initial investigation points to a wood-fired furnace as the cause of the fire. The furnace had been used to melt aluminum, which has a melting temperature of 1,221 degrees.

The heat is expected to exceed the design of the wood burning unit and flue, even when new.

Wind drove embers from the fire to ignite the roof of a garage two blocks away.

The Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating.