An elderly woman died and a sheriff's deputy was treated for smoke inhalation in a fire in rural Harrison County Thursday morning.

Firefighters were called to Beauty Shop Road, off Farm-to-Market Road 2625 near the Crossroads community, just before 11 a.m. when Horace Manning called to report that his mother's house was on fire and she was trapped inside, according to Dennis Engdahl, Harrison County Fire Marshal.

Courtney Case/News Messenger (ENLARGE)

Smoke billows out of the house of Wareen 'Clementine' Manning, who died in the early morning fire on Beauty Shop Road near Farm-to-Market 2625 Thursday.

Units from the volunteer departments in Waskom, Scottsville and Blocker Crossroads responded.

The victim was identified as Wareen Clementine Manning, 85.

"Ms. Clementine lived up here by herself," said family friend Henry Rudd of nearby Elysian Fields. "That's her son's mechanic shop over there," he added, pointing to a tall metal building with a roll-up door situated behind the home.

Rudd said he'd heard that Horace Manning had gone to his shop that morning only to find smoke coming from his mother's home.

"He tried to get inside and save her but he couldn't," Rudd said. "He started fighting the fire with a garden hose until the firefighters got here."

Capt. Mike Alexander of the Harrison County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the younger Manning was the first on the scene.

"He had gone by to check on his mother and saw smoke coming out of the house," Alexander said. "He went inside to try to save her but the fire was too bad."

Alexander said Deputy Jeff McAndrews was the first law enforcement official on the scene and "he also went into the house."

Alexander said McAndrews brought Horace Manning out of the house and went back in to try to save Ms. Manning, but the smoke was too bad.

"He was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, but he's OK now," Alexander said just after 4 p.m. Thursday.

Horace Manning was not injured and remained in the front yard of the house throughout the ordeal.

"It looked to be an electrical fire that started in the wiring high up in a closet," Fire Marshal Dennis Engdahl said after Ms. Manning's body was removed from the structure. "It was concentrated in the bedroom where the victim was, but there's a lot of smoke and water damage throughout the house."

Engdahl said foul play is not suspected.

"She was in there alone," the fire marshal added. "Her caregiver had been here earlier in the morning, but left."

Engdahl explained that investigators noticed a walker near the victim's bed, leading them to believe that she may have been overcome by the smoke while attempting to get out of the bed.

The wood-frame home with tan asbestos siding is situated at the end of Beauty Shop Road, about a quarter mile off FM 2625.

It's the only residence on the road.

"She used to have a beauty shop out here. She did people's hair," Rudd said.

Looking down and shaking his head, the family friend added, "It's really hard when something like this happens so close to Mother's Day.

"All her kids were probably getting ready to come out here to see her this weekend."

Rudd said he believes Ms. Manning had "eight or nine kids."