Wake Forest house fire killed mother and son, chief says

Battalion Chief Edward Barrett confirmed Wednesday that both Lawrence Williams and his mother, 86-year-old Ella Virginia Smith, have died. Both were found unconscious in bedrooms on Tuesday after 3:30 a.m. They were both revived and treated for smoke inhalation but died in the hours following the fire.

"Our prayers and thoughts are with the family and friends," Barrett said. "We feel loss deeply."

On Tuesday, firefighters responded to the home at 420 E. Walnut Avenue before 3:30 a.m, where fire was visible on the front porch and in the first two rooms. On Wednesday at 3:30 a.m., they were back at the home responding to a second fire.

Firefighters don't know if Tuesday's fire rekindled or if something else caused it. Barrett told WRAL it would be a few days before investigators could pin down the cause of the fires.

Williams was living in the home with his mother to help take care of her. She would have turned 87 on Friday.

Smith's daughter told WRAL News her mom lived in the neighborhood for over 60 years and was referred to fondly as "Grandma Ella."

The daughter, who lives in the home behind her mother, said she tried to get the two out of the home by knocking on the windows to wake them up on Tuesday.