An 82-year-old woman and her son died in a house fire Friday morning in Jefferson County, according to authorities.
Billie Carruth and Anthony Carruth, 56, were both pronounced dead after a home in the 900 block of West Holland Avenue in White Hall became engulfed in flames, said Jefferson County coroner Chad Kelley.
Their bodies were taken to the state Crime Laboratory for autopsies, Kelley said.
Officers initially attempted to enter the residence around 7 a.m. through its front door but were unable to get close because of "heavy, black smoke," a White Hall Police Department report notes.
A locked fence and heavy vegetation blocked authorities from entering through the back of the home, according to police.
Authorities were eventually able to break an east window, sending smoke billowing out. Several yells by officers reportedly yielded no response.
Police said that the bodies of Anthony Carruth and Billie Carruth were found in separate areas of the home after firefighters extinguished the blaze: one in a doorway separating the kitchen and living room and the second in a bedroom.
A White Hall woman, who said she had known Anthony Carruth for about 12 years, told officers at the scene that she typically came over to the West Holland Avenue residence to take care of his mother, who had dementia.
A second caregiver from Pine Bluff said that she, too, had looked after Billie Carruth over the past three or four weeks. She noted that the 82-year-old had a history of leaving the stove on, causing food items to burn or overheat, according to the report.
An infrared heater was also routinely on inside the home's living room, resulting in the home being "extremely hot" inside, the second caregiver told authorities.
White Hall, a town of around 5,500 residents, is about 6.5 miles north and west of Pine Bluff in Jefferson County.
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