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A 55-year-old woman has been identified as the person who died during a fatal house fire in the early morning hours on January 16.
Around 4:30 a.m. on January 16, a resident of a home on Keith Lane, located just off the Milligan Highway, called 911 to report the home was on fire. The man, who was identified as Jeffrey Blevins, reported that his wife, Sheila, was still inside the home.
When firefighters and deputies of the Carter County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene, they located Blevins outside and he said his wife was still in the home. Blevins told officers he awoke to smoke inside the home and realized the house was on fire. Blevins said he tried to get his wife to leave the home with him as she was attempting to rescue their pets.
“When Blevins made it out of the home and realized his wife had not followed him out, he went back into the burning home to try to find her,” Sheriff Mike Fraley said. “Mr. Blevins stated the smoke was too thick and he had to vacate the residence.”
The home was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived on the scene. First responders later located the body of Sheila Blevins, 55, inside the residence. She was pronounced dead at the scene and her remains were transported for an autopsy.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the cause of the fire.