HAZARD — The death of a Perry County woman who died in a house fire this week has been ruled accidental.
Jo Ann Combs Caskey, 42, was found in the kitchen area of a home on Albert Hall Road Tuesday evening and was later pronounced dead on the scene. The Perry County Coroner’s Office released Caskey’s identity Wednesday morning.
Perry County Deputy Coronor John Collett said on Thursday the state medical examiner’s office ruled Caskey’s death as accidental, caused by smoke inhalation.
Hazard Fire Chief Sam Stacy said he got the call about the fire at 6:28 p.m., and when fire fighters arrived on scene the residence was completely engulfed in flames.
“When the fire department arrived, they found a single-wide mobile home that was fully involved in fire, with an individual outside saying that there was a woman inside the residence,” Stacy said.
Caskey was found within 10 minutes of the fire crew arriving on the scene, Stacy said, and the crew had the fire under control about a half hour after arriving on the scene.
“Anytime we have any kind of fatal fire like that, we turn the investigation over to the Kentucky State Fire Marshal’s office and the Kentucky State Police arson investigator,” Stacy explained.
KSP officials have not yet released a cause in the fire.













