Woman's cause of death from Shell Point home fire revealed

Firefighters were able to rescue a woman from a burning mobile home in Shell Point on Wednesday night, but she later died on the scene, authorities said Thursday.

Heather Villegas, 30, of Beaufort was trapped in the home on Falls Road during the fire, Beaufort County Coroner Ed Allen said.

Villegas was rescued by the Burton Fire District, but was later pronounced dead from her injuries, district spokesman Daniel Byrne said.

A preliminary autopsy report released Thursday from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston determined her death was accidental, and she died of smoke inhalation, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.

Firefighters were dispatched to the home around 10 p.m. and arrived to find the house engulfed in flames, Byrne said. The first team that arrived fought its way inside the home to Villegas, while a second team battled the blaze.

According to a Sheriff's Office news release, several others were inside the home when the fire started. Villegas was not a resident of the home, Allen said.

Both the Sheriff's Office and the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division, which typically aids investigations into fatal fires, are investigating, the release said. "As of this time, there is no indication criminal activity played a role."

Related content:

• 1 killed in Shell Point home fire, May 13, 2015

This story was originally published May 14, 2015 at 9:39 AM with the headline "Woman's cause of death from Shell Point home fire revealed."