Brunswick County woman dies in mobile home fire

A fire Monday afternoon killed a Brunswick County woman, the county’s first fatal home fire this year.

Joan Stanley, born in 1958, died as a result of a fire that burned her mobile home in the 4700 block of Hen Cove Avenue in Shallotte, said Lt. Sam Davis of the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office.

Fire Marshal Scott Garner said the fire appeared to be cooking-related, and he said it started just after 1 p.m. Monday.

“When the call came in, the caller told the communication center the house was fully engulfed,” Garner said. He said it is unknown whether the mobile home had smoke detectors because of the extent of damage.

Garner said this is the first residential fire death this year, following a much more deadly 2007 in Brunswick County. Fourteen people died in home fires last year, including the seven college students killed in a beach house fire in Ocean Isle Beach last October.

Garner said it’s hard to pinpoint reasons for wide variation in fire-related deaths from year to year.

“There’s no one thing you can point your finger at and say, ‘Here’s why we have a fire problem,’ ” he said.

“Again, there’s still not a reason to say why this one happened now,” Garner said.

But as the holiday season approaches and cold weather sets in, Garner said residents should keep in mind some fire prevention tips:

Make sure heaters are working properly. Check to see if there are any recalls on space heaters. Make sure there’s a good clearance around space heaters. Be careful with candles. And make sure Christmas trees stay watered.

Shannan Bowen: 264-8345

shannan.bowen@starnewsonline.com