UPDATE: Victim identified in Jan. 10 fatal house fire on Mountain Road; cause unknown
HENDERSONVILLE - The Henderson County Sheriff's Office has identified the person who was killed following an early-morning house fire that occurred on Jan. 10 at a house located at 560 Mountain Road near West Henderson High School.
According to a 4 p.m. news release on Jan. 12, the Sheriff's Office identified the victim as 62-year-old Mary Lou Nickelson Degraw of Hendersonville. The Sheriff's Office Arson Task Force was called to the scene on Jan. 10 to assist the Henderson County Fire Marshal's Office, the release said.
"The investigation is currently ongoing, and the cause of the fire has not yet been determined," the Sheriff's Office said in the release.
According to Mountain Home Fire and Rescue Fire Chief Mark Wilson, when his crews arrived at the home at 3:23 a.m. Jan. 10, it was a full-involved structure fire. He said the person who was able to make it out of the home was at a neighbor's house when fire crews arrived.
"When our units arrived on scene, they encountered heavy fire in the back of the structure. We started extinguishing it, but we were then advised that there could be someone inside the structure," he said. "So we had our next crew start search and rescue and the other crew continue with extinguishment. Then, there was a body located inside the house. As far as identity, I haven't gotten any information on that as of right now."
Wilson said the fire was "extensive" in the back of the house, and that firefighters experienced fire inside in the living room area near the entrance and also heavy fire in the kitchen area.
Other fire departments assisting were Etowah/Horse Shoe, Fletcher and Mills River.
"As far as getting the fire knocked down, it took probably about 10-15 minutes. We had it under control then," Wilson said.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: UPDATE: Victim identified in Jan. 10 fatal house fire on Mountain Road
