A woman, said to be in her 70s, died alone in a fire Thursday morning at her home in Williamson.
Williamson Fire Chief Joey Carey said the woman's bedroom, and much of the rest of the home, was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived shortly after 7 a.m. The house was a total loss.
A neighbor called 911 at about 7:10 a.m. about the fire at 607 Wilson St., a single-story wood frame home in a residential area on the East End of Williamson. Carey said firefighters arrived in four minutes.
Neighbors told firefighters the woman, who Carey said lived alone, was home. Firefighters knew where her bedroom was because they had responded when she fell several times, but they weren't able to reach her to save her.
Authorities are not releasing the woman's name at this point, but Carey said she was about 75 years old. Carey said they would wait for the state Medical Examiner's office to confirm her identity and yield to the State Fire Marshal's office to release the name.
Carey said the woman, who he noted was a smoker, had been in and out of skilled nursing facilities and used a walker. She was found next to her bed. The Mingo County coroner pronounced her dead at the scene.
"It appears she was attempting to try to get out," Carey said. "She had her walker with her."
Carey believes the fire started in the bedroom but investigators still are determining the cause. Carey suspects it was accidental.
He said that the oxygen tanks in her bedroom likely would have exacerbated a fire.
All smoke detectors in the home were operational.
"She just couldn't get out," Carey said.
He said the fire was under control in about 30 minutes but firefighters were on scene until about 12:45 p.m.
Courtney Rosemond, spokeswoman for the State Fire Marshal's office, confirmed the fatality and that the State Fire Marshal's office is investigating. Assistant state fire marshals were in Williamson.
The woman's brother, who Carey said lived nearby, arrived and spent quite awhile at the scene, according to Carey.
"It's always tough for us to lose someone in a fire," he said. "The whole reason we do this job is to save people, not lose people."
Chattaroy Volunteer Fire Department and Williamson police also responded.
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, Facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.