South Florida doctor dies after being pulled from fire at her Plantation home, police say

A prominent South Florida doctor has died after being found inside a Plantation house that was engulfed in flames early Thursday morning, officials say.

Around 4 a.m., the Plantation Fire Department responded to the blaze at a home at 12350 NW 23 Ct. Firefighters quickly worked to extinguish the flames and found Karen Ruthman, 60, inside the residence. She was rushed to HCA Florida Westside Hospital, according to the fire department.

The Plantation Police Department later confirmed that Ruthman had died. She was the only person in the house at the time, said fire officials.

Neighbors told Miami Herald news partner CBS Miami that the couple who lived in the home are both doctors who built the house from the ground up.

Broward property records lists Ruthman, 60, as the owner of the 6-bedroom, 6-bathroom mansion where the fire took place. Florida Department of Health records reveal she was a doctor at Memorial Regional Hospital in Miramar.

The house is worth nearly $2.5 million, according to Zillow. It was built in 2003, according to property records.

Ruthman also had a medical practice called Ruthman Medical Group and with 30 years of experience in emergency and family medicine, according to her bio.

She had been board-certified in family medicine since 1994, the Department of Health records show.

Police say the cause of the fire is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 4:57 PM.