Raleigh woman dies in Sunday morning townhouse fire

A resident of a North Raleigh townhouse that caught on Sunday morning has died as a result of her injuries.

Jesslyn Beaird, 71, lived on Brook Knoll Place in the Brook Forest townhomes off Old Wake Forest. Firefighters were called to the neighborhood at 6:39 a.m. Sunday, and when they arrived they found heavy fire coming from the second and third floors of Beaird’s three-story townhouse, according to a report from the Raleigh Fire Department.

The report said firefighters did not have to rescue anyone from the building, but it said at least one person was taken to the hospital for “smoke inhalation.” Another resident of the townhouse was hospitalized, said John Fanning, the city’s fire marshal.

The fire damaged at least one of the neighboring units. The report said six people were displaced by the fire altogether and that the Red Cross was assisting them.

It took about a half hour for firefighters to bring the fire under control. The fire department says investigators still aren’t sure what started it.

This story was originally published October 28, 2018 at 11:37 AM.