According to a report, deputies were called after a body was discovered in a brush fire burning at 806 Mount Vernon-Hickory Mountain Road around 2:48 p.m. Tuesday.
Investigators determined that Patricia McMath Beale had attempted to burn brush in a field located next to her residence. The fire got out of control, causing a grass fire within the field.
Beale perished while attempting to control the fire.
Officials from the Chatham County Sheriff's Office, Chatham County Fire Marshall's Office, Silk Hope Fire Department and the N.C. Forestry Service conducted the investigation.
Beale's body was sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office at UNC-Hospitals in Chapel Hill for an autopsy. No foul play is suspected.
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