Fire guts converted garage, kills Fort Smith woman

FORT SMITH — A 74-year-old woman died before dawn Sunday when the converted garage she lived in was gutted by fire, according to a fire marshal.

Firefighters who responded at 3:30 a.m. to 3106 Kinkead Ave. found the body of Anna Richardson about 6 feet from a recliner near the place where the fire was believed to have started, Carey St. Cyr said Monday. Richardson’s body was sent to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock for autopsy.

The cause and source of the fire were still being determined Monday by the police and fire investigators, St. Cyr said.

Two women heading to work saw the fire and called 911, St. Cyr said. A total of 24 firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded to the alarm. When they arrived at the scene, they found heavy flames emanating from the garage, which was attached to a home, St. Cyr said.

The garage was destroyed and the home sustained heat, water and smoke damage, St. Cyr said. There were two vehicles parked in the driveway in front of the garage that also were damaged.

St. Cyr said there were no smoke alarms in the garage apartment or in the attached home.