Officials Rule Cause Of Fatal Fire Undetermined

Editor

CANTON—Investigators from three agencies have concluded the death of an 85-year-old Canton woman was accidental, after she was unable to escape her house on Van Zandt County Road 2117 when it caught fire Monday morning.

Anna Love was found in the south end of the single-wide mobile home, about three hours after fire officials responded to the scene.

"Mrs. Love’s death was accidental and the cause of the fire has been ruled undetermined," Van Zandt County Fire Marshal Chuck Allen said.

Allen, along with a team of investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Texas Rangers, was out Tuesday afternoon sifting through the ashes in search of answers.

Allen explained that an "undetermined" fire case means the case will always remain open until other evidence or witnesses may come forward.

Upon further investigation it was, however, determined that the fire originated in the spare bedroom.

Allen said Monday that the call first came in at around 8 a.m. Monday as a structure fire with three people possibly trapped inside.

"Once we arrived on scene, one occupant stated his mother was inside and didn’t know if others were inside," Allen said. "The occupant who got out suffered smoke inhalation and refused transport to the hospital."

Love lived in the house with her son and a caretaker.

Allen said an approximate time frame of two and a half hours had passed from the time the caretaker and her son left the house until the fire was reported.

"He (Love’s son) was awakened (by smoke alarms) and sucked in a whole bunch of smoke and saw the north end of the trailer on fire," Allen said. "He did attempt to get his mother out but could not get her because of the smoke and heat."

At the time Love’s son was unaware the caretaker and the caretaker’s son had escaped the fire, so firefighters were looking for three people.

Allen said the caretaker and her son were located several hours later in Grand Saline and taken to the sheriff’s office for questioning. He noted, however, they were not suspects.

"We were able to rule out that it was a candle, or a cigarette (that caused the fire) and the caretaker did not remember leaving anything on," Allen said.

Allen said Love was apparently attempting to leave the house, but was not near an exit, where her body was found.

Love was pronounced dead at the scene by Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Ronnie Daniell and her body was sent to the Southeast Texas Forensics Lab for an autopsy.