NLR woman, 53, dies in house fire

— A 53-year-old woman died in a house fire in North Little Rock early Wednesday.

Firefighters responded to the blaze in the 4500 block of North Gum Street about 3:20 a.m., said Capt. John Pflasterer. North Little Rock police noticed the fire during patrol and tried to enter the home, but smoke and flames stopped them, Pflasterer said.

Firefighters controlled the blaze in about 30 minutes, and investigators found the woman’s body in a bed, he said. Fire investigators have not released her name until her relatives are notified.

The woman was the only one living in the home, Pflasterer said.

Investigators believe a space heater near the bed sparked the fire, which destroyed the home, Pflasterer said. Investigators estimated about $65,000 in damage, he said.

Investigators sent the victim’s body to the state Crime Laboratory and are awaiting identification, said North Little Rock Police Department spokesman Sgt. Brian Dedrick.

Neighbor Terri Morgan said the firetrucks woke her up Wednesday morning. Morgan said she saw flames reaching out from the side of the home.

“It had gotten so bad there was nothing [firefighters] could do,” Morgan said.

Firefighters hosed down the side of the home to prevent the fire from spreading, she said.

“It’s just really sad,” Morgan said, adding that the woman moved into the home to take care of her mother after her father died. “She wasn’t very outgoing, but she was very friendly.”

Arkansas, Pages 10 on 11/29/2012

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