LONG NECK, Del. - A family is grieving after their loved one was killed in a fire early Sunday morning.
Family members say 57-year-old Joyce Clough was sleeping on her couch when her mobile home on Autumn Road near Route 24 caught on fire. Clough was a mother of three and grandmother of two.
"She was amazing, kind-hearted. She's always been there for me," said her daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Callahan. "I was 17 when I became a part of the family and she's always been my mother."
Niece Brandy Wyatt echoed Callahan's thoughts.
"She was a family woman. She was very lovable," said Wyatt. "She was all about her family and her grandkids."
The Delaware State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the fire. According to them, the fire was reported shortly before 5:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. The Indian River Volunteer Fire Department's page says over four companies responded to the fire. The State Fire Marshal's office is investigating the fire's origin and cause, though Clough's family say a space heater may be the cause. Wyatt says her aunt's death is incomprehensible.
"How did it get like this so fast?" she asked, gesturing to the scene of the fire. "Did nobody hear her scream?"
Clough's family has started a GoFundMe page in the hopes of raising $3,000 to pay for funeral expenses. Regardless of the funds, Callahan says Clough will be remembered.
"We'll definitely do something to celebrate this life," she said. "She was amazing."
The Fire Marshal's office says the fire also damaged two adjacent mobile homes, but no one was inside them at the time. They say the fire caused over $50,000 in damages.
