Holly Peck, age 43, of New Market was killed when she accidentally poured camper fuel into a kerosene heater early Saturday morning.
After interviewing family members, Lee County Sheriff's Department Investigator Bobby Ellis said Peck and her husband Carl, their son, his wife and three other friends and family members had brought a camper trailer to stay in during a hunting trip on a farm, which is located in the Holiness Hollow area.
Ellis said the five men in the group left the camper to go hunting around 8 a.m., leaving Holly and her daughter-in-law, Sarah Peck, behind at the camper.
Sarah told investigators that around 8:30, Holly left the camper to get a drink from a cooler outside. When she came back in, she had picked up a can of camp fuel and started to fill the heater. Just as she started to warn Holly that she had the wrong fuel, the heater exploded.
Ellis said Sarah, who is pregnant, was unsure how she managed to escape the camper, but she did so with only minor burns and some apparent smoke inhalation.
Ellis said the men heard the explosion and rushed back to the campsite where they found the camper already engulfed in flames. Carl attempted to enter the camper to rescue his wife but he could not because of the heat and flames .
Carl also sustained minor burns and his son, took his father and wife to Claiborne County Hospital where they were treated and released.
Investigators from the Virginia State Police were called in to assist with the investigation of the incident. Ellis said the investigation is ongoing but there is no reason to believe the fire was anything more than a tragic accident.
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