Kennedale woman dies in house fire

A woman in her 70s died in a back room of her two-story Kennedale home Tuesday afternoon in a fire that damaged 75 percent of the house, Kennedale Fire Chief Mike McMurray said.

The woman, who was in hospice care, was a heavy smoker, her neighbors told McMurray. Investigators found an oxygen machine in her house like those typically used by people with respiratory problems, he said.

“What I was told by investigators is that maybe she was aware that something was going on in the house and before she could escape, she collapsed,” he said.

McMurray said he was in the first firetruck to arrive at 3:36 p.m. Tuesday and could see a column of smoke rising above the neighborhood where the woman lived at 606 Hillside Drive.

“Real heavy smoke was rolling out of the house,” he said. “I told the neighbor to take me to where she might be and I looked inside her back room, and it was full of fire.”

Six firefighting units responded to the fire — two from Kennedale, two from Mansfield and two from Forest Hill, he said.

The fire was under control in 15 minutes, he said.

McMurray said he was told the woman lived alone.

The Tarrant County fire marshal’s office sent six investigators, and the lead investigator has ruled out arson, McMurray said.

“It was just an accident,” he said.

The woman’s identity will not be released until the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office notifies her family. — Monica S. Nagy

This story was originally published December 9, 2014 at 9:30 PM with the headline "Kennedale woman dies in house fire."