UPDATE: Victim in fatal Carter County house fire was trying to rescue pets

A 55-year-old woman who was trying to save her pets has been identified as the person who died in a house fire early Tuesday, according to the Carter County Sheriff’s Office. Crews responded to Keith Lane around 4:30 a.m. A man reported that his wife, Sheila Blevins, was still in the home. The man told officers he awoke to smoke inside the home and realized the house was on fire. He said he tried to get his wife to leave the home with him and she was attempting to rescue their pets. The man made it out of the home and realized Blevins had not followed him out, so he went back into the burning home to try to find her, according to Sheriff Mike Fraley. The man said the smoke was too thick and he had to leave the house. The home was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived on the scene. First responders later found Sheila Blevins’ body in the home. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the cause of the fire.