20-year-old woman dies in Clinton house fire

A 20-year-old woman died Thursday night in a Sampson County house fire that started around 7 p.m..

Jazmyne Cheyenne Tyler was home alone at 641 Brown's Church Road at the time of the fire, according to Fire Marshal Jerry Cashwell.

Officials said Tyler tried to escape through back of the house, but she was overwhelmed by the smoke and collapsed.

Firefighters tried to revive her at the scene, but she was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

"Jazmyne, who liked to be called Desj, just turned 20 on December 18. She was a loving, giving person and loved to make others smile. She was very family oriented, and friends were also family. She loved gaming, graphic design, animals, and music," her mother, Angel Guin, said in a statement.

Multiple fire departments spent several hours Thursday night putting out the blaze.

Cashwell said the fire started in the living room at the front of the house, where a gas heater was turned on.

Investigators cannot say for sure whether the heater caused the fire, but the origin was near it.

Officials said the home’s wood frame and vinyl siding made the fire harder to put out.