Caldwell -
The house fire that claimed the life of a Wynne woman has been ruled accidental although the cause of the blaze could not be determined.
About 1 p.m., Thursday, firefighters from Caldwell, Colt, Palestine and Newcastle were called to the Frances Pitts residence at 1168 Highway 261 in the Caldwell area.
Pitts left Jo Ann Smith, 56, of Wynne, inside the home while she went to Jonesboro. Pitts told St. Francis County Sheriff's deputies that Smith cleaned her home once a week.
Firefighters fought the blaze for about four hours and found Smith's badly burned body inside, a few feet away from the home's front door.
Det. Heath Reynolds, with the SFCSD, said an Arkansas State Fire Marshal came to the scene and could not determine how the fire started.
"His official ruling was that the cause of the fire was undetermined," Reynolds said. "He found where the fire started, and a few possible ignition factors, but he could not determine what caused it."
Reynolds said the fire has been ruled an accident.
"We've ruled out arson, foul play and criminal intent," Reynolds added. "From our findings and the marshal's findings, this has been ruled an accident."
