Oxford woman dies in Thursday night house fire

OXFORD, Ala. (WBRC) - A woman has died and her husband was hospitalized after a Thursday night fire in Oxford.

74-year-old Lois Jemison was found dead after a search of the home.

75-year-old James Jemison escaped through a window but cut himself on broken glass. He was taken to RMC in Anniston to be treated.

Oxford’s Fire Department answered the call around 10:30 Thursday night on Cobb Road in the Silver Run community, in a part of Oxford that extends into Talladega County.

A friend of the family, Mychal Boyd, says the search for Jemison went into the surrounding woods before she was found in the fire damaged part of the home.

"It took about, seems like about 45 minutes, and finally they told Reverend Davis to gather the family members up, you know, and he told them they found her body," Boyd told us.

Fire Chief Gary Sparks says Oxford Fire Lt. Gerald Hovater was treated at the scene for injuries.

The fire marshal is investigating, but Boyd says it appears to have been started by a power surge. He says a loud boom was heard and a utility line had come loose and was lying across the road.