By By MICHELE GERLACH Publisher
House fire claims lives of area residents
Investigators with the Escambia County Sheriff's Office and the State Fire Marshall's Office are investigating a residential fire that claimed the lives of a 76-year-old woman and her 52-year-old daughter last week.
The Escambia County Sheriff's Office received a 9-1-1 call reporting a house fire at 4294 Fuqua Road at 8:02 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 30. Fuqua Rod is southeast of Brewton.
The caller, who was a member of the Roberts Volunteer Fire Department, stated that one part of the house was fully engulfed. He attempted to get inside the house, but with the heat and smoke, was unable to get in.
Several volunteer fire departments from Roberts, Ridge Road, Dixonville, Berrydale, and Munson assisted with putting the fire out. The Escambia County Rescue Squad and the Brewton Fire Department assisted investigators in lighting the area and searching the burned house for the fire victims.
Once the fire was out, firemen with the Brewton Fire Department located two bodies in the house. The bodies were sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy.
The victims were identified as Maxine Fuqua, 76, and her daughter, Janice Fuqua Baggett, 52..
When the volunteer fire departments were able to get the fire out, the State Fire Marshall's Office was notified and two Deputy State Fire Marshalls responded to assist Escambia County Sheriff's Investigators.