Sumter County, South Carolina woman dies in house fire after ‘microwave mistake,’ deputies say

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    SUMTER COUNTY, South Carolina (WYFF) — A South Carolina woman died in a house fire that started after what deputies called a microwave mistake.

The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said Thommie Ruth Jackson, 67, died on May 23 after a fire at the home she shared with her sister on Kolb Road in southwest Sumter County.

The fire call came in just after 8:30 p.m. When they arrived, deputies saw smoke billowing from the home and heard someone outside screaming for help.

Deputies quickly learned Jackson was still inside and immediately attempted to force the door open to gain entry. Once they got the door open, thick smoke made it impossible to enter.

Jackson’s sister directed the deputy to a window of a room where she believed Jackson was.

Sumter County Fire Department personnel continued to work to rescue Jackson while extinguishing the fire.

“A witness at the scene reported that a resident had attempted to warm a sandwich in packaging containing foil in the microwave,” deputies said in a post on Facebook. “The sandwich wrapper within the microwave oven burst into flames and attempts to extinguish the fire failed.”

Jackson was pulled from the home, and emergency medical service personnel worked to save her life, deputies said. She was taken by ambulance to Prisma Health Tuomey, where she later died.

“With the assistance of the State Fire Marshall’s Office and the Sumter Fire Department, it was determined the cause of the fire was related to placing an aluminum foil wrapper inside the microwave and poor living conditions that hindered the extinguishing of the fire and facilitating its spread,” officials said.

Authorities are calling the fire accidental and say the cause of death is pending autopsy results at the Medical University of South Carolina Charleston.

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