Late in the evening on March 17th, a fire broke out at a residence in the Carolina Springs gated community. The blaze claimed the life of Holly Chandler, 34, who lived alone in the house with her dog, Dagwood. Emergency services were dispatched to the residence, but arrived too late to save Miss Chandler. Fortunately, Dagwood managed to escape the fire relatively unscathed.

The Emerson Valley Office of the Fire Marshal conducted an investigation into the cause of the fire. They determined that a lit cigarette was left on the armrest of a sofa made with polyester and polyurethane—two highly-combustible materials. According to the arson investigators, the sofa would have burned very hot and very fast. The fire then spread to the rest of the house, engulfing it in a fiery inferno.

Miss Chandler worked as an administrative secretary for the Raven Club, helping to coordinate their many events and operations. Raven Club president Miriam Rook was devastated by the news.

“Holly was such a joy to work with,” said Mrs. Rook as she dabbed her watering eyes with a tissue. “It came as a total shock. I had just spoken to her a few hours before she died. She said she had a lot of fun with the St. Paddy’s Day Lockdown Pub Crawl, but she was sad she couldn’t do it in person. She even…she said she couldn’t wait to get back out on the streets for next year’s pub crawl.”

It’s currently unknown whether the cigarette that triggered the fire belonged to Miss Chandler or someone else who was in her home shortly before it burned down. Sheriff Oliver Price has stated that it was an accidental death, and that the case is closed.

When asked to comment on the tragedy, he said, “The girl had a smoke, put the cigarette down, and either forgot about it or thought it was out. It’s a real shame, but it happens all the time. That’s why smoking indoors is so dangerous. If she’d been more careful, she might still be alive.”

While Sheriff Price is content to close the book on Miss Chandler’s death, some troubling questions remain. She suffered from severe asthma, forcing her to carry an inhaler everywhere she went. None of her friends or family have ever seen her smoke.

“Holly wasn’t a smoker,” said her twin sister, Ivy Bowden. “She never touched a cigarette a day in her life. I don’t know why there would be a lit cigarette in her home, but I know it wasn’t hers. It couldn’t have been.”

If the cigarette didn’t belong to Miss Chandler, the possibility remains that there was a second person present in the minutes preceding her death. Was the cigarette left on the sofa by mistake, or was it planted there on purpose? Until the second person comes forward or is found, we may never know exactly what happened that night.

“I never thought I’d have to live in a world without my sister,” said Mrs. Bowden. “It still doesn’t seem real. I keep glancing at my phone, thinking I’ll see a text from her pop up at any moment.”

As for Dagwood, after being looked over by a local vet, he was given the all-clear to go home with Mrs. Bowden. Her family intends to shower him with as much love as they can give.

“Dagwood meant the world to Holly,” Mrs. Bowden said. “I feel like he’s keeping me connected to her. My husband and I had been talking about getting a pet for our kids. In a strange, heartbreaking way, it’s like we were meant to have him.”

A funeral will be held for Miss Chandler this weekend at St. Gabriel’s Church. Her family wishes for it to be a small ceremony, but anyone who wishes to say goodbye to her is welcome to attend. Details of the funeral arrangements will be announced soon. If you have any information concerning Miss Chandler’s death, please contact us at emersonvalleygazette@gmail.com.

-Sarah Donovan, Editor & Local News, Emerson Valley Gazette