Woman, adult son die after Lancaster house fire, chief says

LANCASTER, S.C. — A woman and her adult son died in house fire in Lancaster, investigators said.

It happened at a home along Belk Street off of Chesterfield Avenue around 9 p.m. Monday. Lancaster Fire Chief Justin McLellan said when firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the back of the house.

“We began the initial attack on the fire. While in the process of searching and extinguishing the fire, they did find two victims inside the residence,” McLellan said.

Both victims were unresponsive and they were eventually pronounced dead. Neither of their identities have been released to the public.

Officials believe the victims lived in the house. One neighbor told Terry the woman who died was well known and well loved.

“She was a good lady she took care of little kids. She babysat for the neighborhood,” said Quavis Rudisell.

Rudisell said the woman also looked after him when he was a child. He said he heard her house was on fire, so he and other neighbors ran to the home and called 911.

“As we were calling their names and stuff, wouldn’t nobody answer,” Rudisell said. “Then their dog came out the front door, but the dog came out and ran back in. That’s what kind of told us somebody was in there.”

He took a video just as firefighters arrived.

“It’s just unreal, ‘cause it was just only him and his mama -- they don’t really have no family like that,” Rudisell said. “She had a sister and she came last night, but other than that, I don’t know of no other family but us.”

It is unclear exactly what caused the fire. Channel 9′s Tina Terry asked if it was suspicious; at this point, fire officials do not believe it was.

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