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Woman killed in Live Oak house fire identified

Heavy smoke, cluttered hallway hampers efforts to save Rochelle Nichols, 49

LIVE OAK, Texas – A 49-year-old woman was killed in a house fire Monday night in Live Oak.

Police said Rochelle Nichols and her husband were asleep in different rooms when the fire broke out around 10 p.m. in the 300 block of Mountain Shadows.

According to Steve Valdez, a neighbor, Nichols' husband woke up to his wife's screams and heavy smoke.

"He tried to get her out, but the hallway was too engulfed in flames and he couldn't get to her. He was in living room and she was in bedroom," Valdez said. "By the time they got her out, they tried to resuscitate her, and they had no luck doing that."

Nichols was pronounced dead at the scene.

Firefighters attempted to break through the front door but were unsuccessful before going through a bedroom window.

Police said heavy smoke and cluttered hallways caused problems in trying to rescue Nichols.

Fire officials are investigating a cause. A damage estimate wasn't immediately available.

 


About the Authors
Ben Spicer headshot

Ben Spicer is a digital journalist who works the early morning shift for KSAT.

Max Massey headshot

Max Massey is the GMSA weekend anchor and a general assignments reporter. Max has been live at some of the biggest national stories out of Texas in recent years, including the Sutherland Springs shooting, Hurricane Harvey and the manhunt for the Austin bomber. Outside of work, Max follows politics and sports, especially Penn State, his alma mater.

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