Mother, child die in overnight duplex fire

UPDATE: Duplex fire ruled accidental, victims identified

Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department (MFRD) Fire Marshal’s Office investigators are looking into the cause of a fire that claimed the life of a mother and her 5-year-old son early Saturday morning, according to fire officials.

Fire crews responded to the duplex fire in the 1700 block of Craig Court around 3 a.m.

“There was heavy smoke visible when firefighters arrived, and fire coming through the roof of one side of the duplex,” said MFRD Battalion Chief Joe Bell. “Firefighters began an aggressive attack on the fire and quickly extinguished it.”

Fire crews found the 33-year-old mother and her son in a bedroom of the duplex and removed them from the structure. Paramedics immediately began treating the two, with assistance from Rutherford County Emergency Medical Service personnel. The mother and child were pronounced dead at Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital.

Bell said the duplex sustained significant fire, smoke, and water damage.

Murfreesboro Police Department officers assisted a woman with getting out of the other side of the duplex. She was not injured.

“There was minimal damage to the other side of the duplex,” Bell said. “Electric crews turned off the power, so the occupant was not able to stay there.”

The fire remains under investigation.