Grandparents die in house fire

Photo by David Rogers

Firefighters work at the house of Raymond and Frances Hayes of 206 Masters Drive in Anderson. The husband and wife died after their home caught on fire early Sunday morning.

Photo by Nathan Gray

Raymond and Frances Hayes of 206 Masters Drive in Anderson died after their home caught on fire early Sunday morning.

Two doting grandparents were killed in an early Sunday morning fire in the Homeland Park area of Anderson.

Frances Hayes, 58, and her husband, Raymond Hayes, 66, were killed when an electrical short set their home at 206 Masters Drive on fire just after 4 a.m. Mr. and Mrs. Hayes died of smoke inhalation. Their five dogs, Chihuahua mixes, also perished in the fire.

“They were two loving people,” said Mrs. Hayes’ daughter Caroline Blanscet. “My mom was the kind of loving person who would help anyone. Every Christmas Mom and me would help a bunch of families; she would feed whoever was hungry, and Momma didn’t have a lot of money herself.”

Mr. Hayes was Ms. Blanscet’s stepfather, but she said he raised her and her brother like his own.

Ms. Blanscet said the most important things in the couple’s lives were their grandchildren.

“They loved my kids to death,” said Ms. Blanscet. “With those two it was all about my kids.”

A simple drive by the couple’s front yard is a clear testament to that. Even though their grandchildren did not live with Mr. and Mrs. Hayes, their yard is still strewn with their toys. A tree in the front yard still has handmade paper decorations hanging from it.

“They were good people,” said Marcelene Goult, who lived across the street from the couple for seven years. “They would do anything for you.”

Ms. Goult said the couple would come over and sit on her front porch with her, just talking. Mr. Hayes was great at helping fix cars, a hobby of his, or lawn mower or doing whatever needed to be done, Ms. Blanscet said.

Mrs. Hayes loved to go to yard sales, which Anderson County Assistant Coroner Charlie Bosman said may have been a factor contributing to her and her husband’s death.

“Momma collected stuff,” Ms. Blanscet said.

Mr. Bosman said the clutter in the house made it difficult for the couple to exit their home in the fire.

“There was no clear escape route,” he said.

Anderson County Fire Chief Billy Gibson said firefighters did not find any smoke detectors in the home. Ms. Blanscet said there was one, but she was pretty sure her mother had disabled it after it went off while the two were cooking one day because she didn’t like the noise.

Mr. Hayes was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, said Ms. Blanscet, but he was doing well. She thought it would not have affected his ability to exit the house.

When asked if Mr. and Mrs. Hayes would be missed by the community, an emotional Ms. Goult could only nod.

“I just can’t get over it,” she said.

© 2007 Anderson Independent Mail. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.