Dave Russell
The Sylva Herald
A Whittier woman perished in an early morning fire last Wednesday, Dec. 20.
Helen Ward, 84, shared the home at 247 Paul Cooper Road with her son, Lorne Ward, who escaped the conflagration unharmed.
The 911 call came in shortly after 3 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to Zeb Holland of the Jackson County Fire Marshal's Office.
"The neighbor across the road was the 911 caller," Holland said. "The fire was contained pretty quick. The Qualla Fire Department got a pretty good knockdown on it. The assistant chief, John Thomason, of the department lives just down the road from where the fire occurred. I assume he responded from his house."
The home was in the Qualla Fire District with mutual aid from Savannah, Cherokee and Bryson City fire departments. The Jackson County Fire Marshal's Office, N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and Jackson County Sheriff's Office and Harris EMS were also on the scene.
Further details were unavailable as the cause of the fire is under investigation by the notoriously mum N.C. State Bureau of Investigation.
"All fires that involve a fatality in the state of North Carolina are investigated by the SBI," Holland said.
According to Jackson County tax records, the home sat on a 2-acre plot with a total value of about $107,000.
Helen Ward's husband of 47 years, Herman, died in 2008.