A McComb woman died in a Baertown house fire Tuesday night.
Linda Stevenson, 51, died in the bedroom of her home at 404 Adams Ave., Coroner Wally Jones said.
Firefighters received a 911 call at 9:04 p.m. and arrived two minutes later to find the house consumed in fire, Capt. Warren Agnor said.
Agnor said Stevenson lived in the rented house with three other relatives, who awoke to find her bedroom on fire. He said they were unable to get her out of the bedroom.
“The room was fully involved,” he said. “They all made it out without injury.”
Jones and Agnor said they believe Stevenson died of smoke inhalation, but an autopsy will determine that.
Agnor said the fire appears to have been caused by a space heater in Stevenson’s bedroom.
“As far as the fire, we’re going to rule it accidental due to a heater being on,” he said. “That’s the only thing we could find there. As the investigation is going on, there’s no indication of foul play being involved.”
Agnor said he’s not sure if the heater actually was on, adding that Stevenson’s family wasn’t sure.
Stevenson was a cancer patient and her oxygen tanks ruptured during the fire, fueling the spread of the blaze throughout the house, which was a total loss, he said.
Agnor said firefighters contained the fire and cleared the scene at 12:13 a.m.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office will investigate the fire since it involved a fatality, as will the landlord’s insurer, he said.
