PEA RIDGE — An 84-year-old woman died in a house fire Tuesday afternoon at 5801 Arkansas 94 and a passer-by who tried to rescue her was hospitalized.
Eva Simpson, 84, lived alone, said Keshia Guyll, public information officer for the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.
Simpson probably died of smoke inhalation, said Frank Rizzio, Pea Ridge fire chief. When the first Pea Ridge fire crew arrived, there was heavy smoke coming from the back of the home, he said. Simpson’s body was found near the living room after the fire was out.
Correction
A previous version of this story misspelled Fire Chief Frank Rizzio's last name. The error has been corrected.
The fire was probably electrical in nature, Guyll said. Investigators were still combing through the house late Tuesday afternoon. A double garage next to the house didn't catch fire.
Bystanders helped control the fire, said Marc Trollinger, Benton County fire marshal.
Neighbor Robert James was driving home from Pea Ridge with his sister Dawn Setters when she pointed out the fire. Smoke and flames were coming out of the back of the manufactured home, Setters said.
“There was no fire when we drove by 10 minutes before,” Setters said.
Setters dialed 911 and James turned into the drive. A young man, whom James and Setters didn't know, pulled up behind them in a Jeep and the trio ran to the back of the house. The young man kicked in the door and grabbed a garden hose. James found a spigot and hooked up the hose.
The smoke was thick, James said.
“We wanted to go in, but there was no way to see anything,” James said.
The unidentified man headed toward the house spraying it with water. He was burned across his stomach and the back of his legs, James said.
“We kept shouting ‘Is anybody in there?’ And nobody ever responded,” Setters said.
The young man suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation, Trollinger said. An ambulance crew took the man to Mercy Medical Center in Rogers. County officials at the fire Tuesday afternoon didn't know the man’s name. James said the man told him he had firefighter training.
Officials marked the time of the first 911 call as 2:27 p.m. Setters said it took about 10 minutes for fire crews to arrive.
“I’m glad we got a hold of the hose because there probably wouldn’t be anything left by the time they got here,” Setters said.
Firefighters found Simpson on a second sweep of the home after the fire was out, Trollinger said.
Foul play isn't suspected, Trollinger said.
Pea Ridge, Northeast Benton County and Avoca fire departments responded. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office and coroner will investigate the fatality, and the fire marshal’s office will investigate the cause of the fire, Trollinger said.