Sandra Lynn “Sandy” Ludtke, 65, died in the iron fire from smoke inhalation
Worked at Livonia Public Schools
Studied at Wilkes Community College
Studied at Wayne County Community College
Went to North Hgh
Lives in Wilkesboro, North Carolina
From Lincoln Park, Michigan
Single
Wilkesboro, NC
A woman died in a house fire in the Edgewood Forest subdivision off Edgewood Road near Wilkesboro late Sunday morning.
Sandra Lynn “Sandy” Ludtke, 65, was deceased when firefighters found her in her bedroom on the ground floor of the single-story brick ranch home with a full basement, said Wilkes Fire Investigator Niki Hamby of the Wilkes Sheriff’s Office. Hamby said she was lying on her bed.
The house, which was virtually destroyed, is near the end of Edgewood Mill Road.
An autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of death, but Hamby said it appeared to be smoke inhalation. He noted that there were no serious burns on the body.
Hamby said Ludtke may have gone in the bedroom to escape the fire or she could have been overcome by smoke while sleeping. Her bedroom door was open.
He said investigators determined that the fire started accidentally from a hot iron, left plugged into an electrical outlet and on an ironing board, that fell when the board tipped over. The hot iron ignited materials when it fell to the floor said Hamby, adding that it also left an imprint on the board.
Fire spread to the woman’s bedroom and throughout the house and was burning through the roof when firefighters arrived, he added. Ludtke’s bedroom adjoined the living room but was separated by a wall without a door.
“As far as I know she lived there alone,” said Hamby, adding that her dog died in the fire also.
Linda Billings of Greensboro owns the house, rented it to Ludtke and has insurance on it.
Billings said in an interview Monday that she has owned the four-bedroom house since 1954 and had lived there.
She said Ludtke moved to Wilkes from Michigan to take care of her mother, who lives elsewhere in Wilkes. Ludtke was a very nice and caring person and a good renter, Billings added. “I had finally found someone who was responsible” as a renter.
According to Ludtke’s Facebook page, she moved to Wilkesboro in July 2016, from Lincoln Park, Mich., and worked for the Livonia Public Schools in nearby Livonia, Mich., before moving here. She had attended Wilkes Community College. Lincoln Park and Livonia are in the Detroit area.
Billings said Ludtke was a mother and sometimes took care of a grandchild.
Hamby said firefighters initially feared a young child who sometimes stayed with Ludtke was also there, but soon determined otherwise.
He said there were smoke alarms in the house and Billings said they were operating properly when Ludtke moved in.
A neighbor reported the fire, in the Broadway Fire District, and firefighters were dispatched at 11:20 a.m. Sunday. Upon arrival, they were told by neighbors that Ludtke possibly was inside.
Hamby said an explosion that occurred soon after firefighters arrived possibly was a “smoke explosion,” which results when combustible materials in smoke are ignited from sudden exposure to an increased level of oxygen. The explosion pushed out some brick walls and broke windows in the house.
Dispatched were the Broadway, Moravian Falls, Brushy Mountain and Wilkesboro fire departments, as well as Wilkes Emergency Medical Services and the Wilkes Rescue Squad.
Hamby said an investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s office was on the scene as a result of a policy, implemented this year, that calls for having investigators from that office respond to all fires statewide resulting in death or at least $1 million in damage.
A U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms agent was there for training, plus the State Bureau of Investigation was on the scene. Hamby and Wilkes Fire Marshal Kevin Bounds were both also there.
Investigators and Broadway firefighters were on the scene until about 6 p.m. Sunday.