Woman dies in TC house fire

By DEUCE NIVEN

tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com

     An apparently accidental house fire claimed the life of a bed-bound Tabor City woman Wednesday evening.

     Sharon Jernigan, 64, died in the fire at 102 Shay Street, Chief Jeff Fowler of the Tabor City Fire Department said.

     Fowler and other fire department leadership on the way back from a meeting in Fair Bluff were among the first to arrive, with Tabor City police, but were unable to reach the woman, who was in her bed in the living room of the one-story home, Fowler said.

     “Me and one of the police officers tried to get in, but we couldn’t,” Fowler said.

     A man who lives with Jernigan had walked to the Tabor City IGA, and when he returned “he put his key in the door, smelled smoke, opened the door and the whole living room was on fire,” Fowler said.

     A nearby water hose was too short to reach the front door, though the man tried, Fowler said.

     “I don’t think a water hose would have been enough at that point,” Fowler said.

Firefighters had the fire under control quickly.

     “We had it under control within 5 to 10 minutes of a truck on the scene,” Fowler said. “Our guys did an outstanding job getting on it and knocking it down.”

     For more on this story see the next Tabor-Loris Tribune in print and online.