Jill Sobule death: Terrifying new details of house fire revealed

New York Post

5 days ago

Jill Sobule's death is still under investigation as new horrific details emerge about the fatal house fire that broke out earlier this month.
The 'I Kissed a Girl' hitmaker's body was discovered in a bedroom on the second floor of her friends' two-story Minnesota home, according to the Woodbury Public Safety's fire report obtained by The Post on Tuesday.
The report dated May 16 stated that while the source and cause of the fire are still being investigated, the blaze may have started outside, with officials noting that 'abandoned or discarded materials or products' were contributing factors to the ignition.
Advertisement
It also stated that those inside the home were asleep when the fire broke out on May 1 at around 5:37 a.m. and that they did not appear to be impaired by drugs or alcohol.
14 Jill Sobule attends the GLAAD Media Awards at The Beverly Hilton on March 30, 2023.
Getty Images for GLAAD
14 The house where Jill Sobule was staying showed heavy damage on Friday, May 2, 2025, in Woodbury, Minn., a day after the deadly fire broke out.
AP
Advertisement
Smoke detectors were present and alerted the occupants of the blaze, per the report that also revealed three stories of the home, which included the roof, suffered 'extreme damage' of upwards to 70-100 percent.
The report also included an incident summary detailing what Woodbury firefighters witnessed when they first approached the burning home — and their heroic efforts to desperately extinguish the out-of-control blaze when they learned that Sobule had not made it out with her friends.
'Initial reports stated there was no one inside. While enroute [sic], a dispatch update revealed there was one person still inside the home,' the outline read, stating that 'large heavy black smoke was witnessed from about 1/2 mile out from the home.'
14 Jill Sobule lost her life on May 1 at age 66.
FilmMagic
Advertisement
14 Smoke detectors were present and alerted the occupants of the blaze, per the report that also revealed three stories of the home, which included the roof, suffered 'extreme damage' of upwards to 100 percent.
AP
14 Her body was discovered in a bedroom on the second floor of the house, according to the report.
WireImage
When the first fire unit arrived on the scene, they 'could see flames fully involved in [the] back of [the] home, with large rolling flames coming out the front door of the home and out through the roof,' as well as 'heavy smoke and flames coming from the front door and front windows.'
They also noted that 'the back deck was 'fully gone' and the basement windows on the west side of the home were actively breaking out due to the heavy fire involvement.'
Advertisement
The first arriving crews were 'initially unable to make entry into the home' due to the 'heavy amounts of smoke and flame,' the report stated, noting that 'an exterior offensive attack strategy' was then called into play.
14 The singer was known for her '90s hits 'I Kissed a Girl' and 'Supermodel,' which was featured in 'Clueless.'
AP
14 Jill Sobule performs during the 15th Annual Bridge School Benefit October 21, 2001.
Getty Images
Firefighters worked tirelessly, with some battling the fire from the front of the 3,128-square-foot home and others tackling the flames from the back as two ambulances were requested to the scene 'for EMS standby.'
'After knocking down enough fire to safetly [sic] gain access into the home, a primary search was initiated to locate the missing person,' the report read. 'The deceased was found on the second floor of the home in a bedroom on the Charlie/Delta corner.'
The State Fire Marshal and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner later arrived at the scene to conduct their investigations before crews removed Sobule's body from the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home.
14 The source and cause of the fire are still being investigated, the report exclusively obtained by The Post revealed.
Andy Kropa/Invision/AP
14 The star was staying with her married friends when the fire broke out.
Getty Images
Advertisement
Teams continued to clean up and extinguish the remaining hot spots before all units cleared the scene, according to the report.
The scene examination also revealed that 'heavy fire damage' was 'observed on the rear exterior of the home, appearing to originate near the pre-existing screened in porch and deck area,' with burn patterns extending 'from the ground level up to the deck' and continuing 'to the roofline and into the attic space of the roof.'
The report noted that 'the deck area and screened in porch are mostly gone, with only some horizontal and vertical structural support members remaining.'
14 Firefighters battled the blaze from the front and back of the home.
AP
Advertisement
14 The report detailed the heavy damage done to the home.
AP
14 Jill Sobule's death is also still under investigation.
Getty Images
The Woodbury Public Safety Fire Marshal concluded that following the preliminary investigation into the fatal fire, further examination assistance is needed, so it's now in the hands of the Minnesota State Fire Marshal's Office.
'At the time of completion of this report, the cause of the fire and death still remain under investigation,' the fire marshal stated.
Advertisement
Sobule — known for her groundbreaking '90s hits 'I Kissed a Girl' and 'Supermodel,' which was featured in the movie 'Clueless' — tragically died at age 66.
Photos showed the heavy damage to the home after the fatal inferno.
14 The singer's former roommate spoke to The Post about her shocking death.
Getty Images
14 Jill Sobule's friends thought she had run out of the house behind them.
Getty Images
Advertisement
Almost immediately, investigators began looking into whether the singer was still alive when the house went up in flames.
Sobule's friends — a married couple — made it out of their house and believed she was behind them. Once they were safely outside, they discovered the heartbreaking truth.
Several of the singer's colleagues addressed her death, with her manager, John Porter, telling The Post, 'Jill Sobule was a force of nature and human rights advocate whose music is woven into our culture. I was having so much fun working with her. I lost a client and a friend today. I hope her music, memory, & legacy continue to live on and inspire others.'
Her former roommate exclusively spoke to The Post and recalled her last memory of the star.
Sobule dropped 12 albums during her three-decades-long career and was also behind the autobiographical musical 'F–k 7th Grade,' which saw a four-theatrical run, as well as the theme song for Nickelodeon's 'Unfabulous.'
She left behind her brother, James, sister-in-law, Mary, and two nephews.