94-year-old Woman Killed In Sperry House Fire

Lacie Lowry, News On 6

SPERRY, Oklahoma -- A Green Country woman overcomes one battle only to lose her life in a house fire. The 94-year-old died Friday afternoon inside her home, which caught fire in Sperry.

Dorothy Evans had her last treatment for colon cancer about three weeks ago. Her family thought they'd be celebrating with her this Christmas. Now, they're mourning her death.

John Evans says he went to the store and when he came back he saw his mother's house on fire and firefighters trying to put out the flames.

"You know, I'm just sick to my stomach and I just feel like all of my energy has been drawn out of me," said John Evans.

Several fire departments worked the fire in the 8700 block of North Delaware. Flames were covering every part of the home when they arrived.

"If there's a chance they can get in a residence, they'll see if there was anyone in the house. But they said it was so engulfed that they couldn't even make an attempt to see if anybody was in the residence at the time," said Tulsa County Sheriff Deputy Shannon Clark.

The fire started minutes before 1 p.m. and smoke was still rising hours later. When it cleared out, firefighters discovered the body of 94-year-old Dorothy Evans.

She was at home recovering from cancer treatments.

"Most of her family live around here, they are all there, they are all devastated. She had a lot of spunk, was loved, just a really caring, giving woman," said Lori Swaim, family friend.

Evans lived by herself in the house, but her son and daughter also have homes on the property. They stood helpless as the tragedy unfolded.

"Shock, numbness, it's got to be absolutely horrible. They just lost all their memories in that house," Swaim said.

Evans liked to sit by the fireplace and keep warm. On this chilly day, one week before Christmas, investigators are looking into whether that played a role in the fire.

Dorothy Evans is survived by three of her children and several grandchildren. The State Fire Marshall says there was no foul play in this fire it was accidental.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.