LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — State investigators are assisting the Lexington County Sheriff's Department as it investigates a deadly fire, officials confirmed on Saturday.
According to a spokesperson with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, the Lexington County Fire Service requested the state agency's arson unit on Saturday morning to determine the origin and cause of a deadly fire. The SLED spokesperson said the Lexington County Sheriff's Department is leading the investigation.
A spokesperson for the sheriff's department said the fire was reported around 7 a.m. Saturday morning in the 500 block of Pleasant View Drive. He said the last Lexington County Fire Service unit left around noon, and the scene was turned over to law enforcement. The sheriff's department said its investigation is ongoing.
Coroner Margaret Fisher said the victim, 70-year-old Shelia Denise Turner, died at the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.