Iberia Parish woman dies in mobile home fire

Published 8:40 am Wednesday, November 25, 2020

A mobile home fire Monday morning claimed the life of an Iberia Parish woman, according to the Louisiana Office of the State Fire Marshal.

According to a press release, Iberia Parish Fire District #1 responded to a call for a mobile home fire located in the 5200 block of Norris Road around 9 a.m. Monday. Upon firefighters’ arrival, a male occupant of the home alerted them that a female occupant, his 74-year-old mother, was still inside.

Firefighters later discovered the woman’s body inside near the back door. Official identification and cause of death are pending an autopsy by the Iberia Parish Coroner’s Office.

Following an assessment of the scene, deputies determined the fire originated in the home’s living room. Deputies learned while speaking with the surviving occupant that he was in his bedroom when he heard his mother yelling about hearing a popping sound coming from outside the front door.

When he looked for the source of the sounds, he discovered a fire around a window A/C unit right next to the front door. The man reported attempting to put the fire out with a water hose, but when that was unsuccessful, he and a

neighbor made an attempt to save his mother, only to be blocked by the ceiling falling in.

While the exact cause of the fire remains undetermined at this time, investigators are not ruling out the possibility of electrical malfunction related to the recently installed window A/C unit as a contributing factor.

Deputies are continuing to investigating the circumstances surrounding the fire.