Handicapped Colleton County woman dies in Thanksgiving house fire

COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Colleton County Fire and Rescue on Friday announced the death of a 94-year-old handicapped woman following a Thanksgiving evening house fire.

Crews were dispatched to the home on the 1200 block of Shawnee Lane after receiving a call from neighbors. The neighbors said that their son saw “an orange glow across a field,” then they ran to the house to try and help the occupant.

By the time they arrived, the neighbors said that flames were venting from several windows and the front porch was on fire. They tried to enter by kicking in the back door, “but flames erupted from the doorway, driving them away from the building.”

Fire crews arrived minutes later, but the home was fully engulfed. It took about 25 minutes for crews to get the blaze under control enough to enter the home.

The woman, who was wheelchair bound, was found dead in the middle of the home.

Fire crews were on scene for five hours. Investigators believe that the fire started in the living room then spread, but they have not yet pinpointed a cause.