94-year-old woman dies in Clayton County house fire
A 94-year-old woman died late Wednesday in a fire at her home, Clayton County Fire and Emergency Services said.
The deadly blaze occurred about 10:40 p.m. in the 400 block of Lady Guinevere Way in Jonesboro, fire spokeswoman Jacque Feilke said.
People driving by saw the flames and called 911, Feilke said. Crews responded in a few minutes, but the woman was dead by the time they reached her.
Channel 2 Action News said Frances Stephenson was found in the basement of the home.
Live at 12 in Clayton Co. Hear the the family of this 94 yr old woman who couldn't escape a house fire. The emotional interview w/ her son pic.twitter.com/L9mcEFGblF
— Liz Artz (@LizArtzWSB) February 9, 2017
The victim’s son, who lives nearby, was alerted by neighbors to the fire.
“I jumped up as fast as I could,” Edward Stephenson said. “I tried to go in the front door, but I couldn’t go 10 feet” because of the smoke.
“At that point, it was just hurry up and wait and let the professionals do their job.”
The fire was accidental and caused by overheating of the clothes dryer, Feilke said later Thursday.
Stephenson said his mother had lived at the house “30-40 years.”
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John Spink is a multi-platform photojournalist with the breaking news team. He provides compelling photos, video and audio from breaking news events for the AJC and media partners WSB Channel 2 Action News & WSB Radio
