TBI Takes Over White Co House Fire Investigation

The TBI has taken over the investigation into a home fire north of Sparta that resulted in the death of a woman Monday.

White County Sheriff Steve Page said emergency services were dispatched and found the house fully engulfed in flames upon arrival. Page said it is unknown how the fire started or why the woman was still in the building.

“Everything is treated as a homicide until we can prove different,” Page said. “You know, our thoughts are it’s probably just an honest accident, something that happened that was beyond anyone’s control but at this time, again, we just don’t know.”

Page said he hopes to have more information in the next couple weeks but there is no guarantee how long the state’s investigation will take.

“Sometimes it takes a month, sometimes it takes six months,” Page said. “It’s just according to the resources that the TBI has to use on this certain call at this time.”

Page said his department has no other details about the situation as first responders were focused on trying to get the person out of the building.

“Of course the whole county is concerned as to what happened there,” Page said. “And until the TBI tells us what their discoveries are as far as why the house burnt if they can figure that out and what happened, we’re at a standstill as far as the investigation because I turned it all over to them.”