Fire kills 60-year-old mother, destroys Indian River County home

Feb. 08--INDIAN RIVER COUNTY -- A family was salvaging what they could this week after a late night fire tore through their home Saturday, killing a family member and destroying the home.

Brenda Baggett, 60, died when a blaze broke out about 10 p.m. in the home in the 10 block of 45th Avenue, according to an Indian River County Fire Rescue report.

The cause of the fire in under investigation by the State Fire Marshal, the report said.

"Their initial belief was it was electrical," said Wyatt Crane, 23.

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Crane was home at the time with Baggett, his aunt-in-law. They both were sleeping when the fire began. Both their bedrooms are in the same corner, Crane's on the second floor and Baggett's on the ground floor.

The flames were concentrated in their back corner of the home.

Crane woke up in his bedroom to the smell of smoke, and raced downstairs to check on Baggett.

Crane said when he opened her door, thick black smoke filled the room and he could see orange flames in the corner where Baggett's bed was. He had no choice but to run outside, shouting for a neighbor to call 911.

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The firetrucks arrived soon after and had the fire out in about an hour.

"By the time I got out and across the street, the flames were higher than the back of the house," Crane said.

Crane said he heard the windows shattering as he stood in the street in his boxers in the cool night air.

The family was first allowed to return to the home Tuesday and continued to salvage what they could Wednesday afternoon, carrying boxes and wheeling electronics coated in ash from the blackened front porch.

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They are still searching for a cat, Gypsy, and a 10-year-old Yorkie, Roxy, who disappeared Saturday night. One of their dogs, named Molly, passed away in the blaze. Two other pets were rescued.

They said nobody had renter's insurance, so they're staying with other family until they can get back on their feet.

A GoFundMe page was created to help them rebuild.

Remembering Brenda Baggett

Tiffany Rushing, 21, said her mom was a fun, spunky woman who always knew how to laugh.

"When times were tough, she always found the best in things," Rushing said. "She knew how to have fun."

Baggett was a retired chef, who taught her daughter how to cook in the southern style she was known for.

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"She was an amazing cook. She used to make these four-course meals," Rushing said.

Baggett was such a talented chef that she could make anyone eat their veggies. Her daughter's favorite dish was cabbage, which Baggett prepared with bacon and onion.

Baggett loved to entertain. Rushing said their home was beautiful and well decorated. When they lived in Vero Lake Estates, they had a pond and beautiful garden that Baggett maintained.

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"We would sit on the back porch and draw and look at the birds," Rushing recalled. "Hummingbirds were her favorite."

Their family loved visiting the North Carolina mountains and spending time outdoors there as well.

Baggett also had a 37-year-old son and five grandchildren.

But Baggett had been sick for years, suffering strokes, diabetes and a heart attack since her 40s. She used a wheelchair after experiencing back problems. The week she died, she was treated in the hospital for pneumonia.

"She was suffering so long," Rushing said. "She looks so peaceful now."

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