SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. — Authorities have released new details regarding a deadly fire in Sumter County that happened days earlier.
According to the Sumter County Sheriff's Office, emergency services personnel responded to a home on Kolb Road around 8:30 p.m. on May 23 regarding a fire. The sheriff's office said deputies arrived and found smoke already coming from the home's windows and someone outside screaming for help.
The sheriff's office said deputies learned someone was still inside and attempted to force the door open to gain entry. However, heavy smoke made it impossible to go inside.
Authorities said a resident who made it outside helped deputies find a window near where they believed the other person was still inside. The sheriff's office said Sumter Fire worked to rescue the person and extinguish the fire.
The sheriff's office said the victim was removed from the fire and died at Prisma Health Tuomey despite efforts to save her life. The Sumter County Coroner's Office confirmed the victim was 67-year-old Thommie Jackson.
The sheriff's department said a witness later reported that the victim was trying to use a microwave to warm a sandwich in packaging that contained foil. Authorities said the packaging caught fire, and attempts to put the fire out failed.
The State Fire Marshal's Office investigated the fire and determined that this was the cause, adding that "poor living conditions" hindered efforts to extinguish the fire. The fire was deemed accidental.
