Burnt Ranch woman, 70, likely victim in trailer fire

A Burnt Ranch woman is believed to have died when her trailer caught fire April 21.

The Trinity County Sheriff's Department has said the remains found inside have not been identified, but the daughter of the woman who lived in the trailer is certain that her mother is the victim.

Jackie Jefferson, 70, lived alone in the trailer, said her daughter, Leanne McKay of Big Flat.

The fire was reported at 10:45 p.m. on the 21st just west of the Burnt Ranch Post Office. The trailer was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. McKay said her mother did smoke, but she believes a satellite dish receiver improperly installed in an enclosed entertainment center might have been the cause.

Jefferson, a former data entry worker for U.S. Steel in Birmingham, had recently beat breast cancer but still had health problems, her daughter said.

"She was a card," McKay said. "She was definitely independent and a character. Everybody loved Jackie."