JACKSON COUNTY, NC (WSPA) – North Carolina Highway Patrol said a second child has died after a car it was riding in earlier this week caught on fire on US 23 in Jackson County.
According Trooper Trevor Sawyer, a woman was driving the vehicle with two children — ages 2 and 6 — near mile marker 93 when the car caught on fire around 9:45 p.m.
Sawyer said by the time the woman stopped the vehicle, it was engulfed in flames.
The woman was able to get her 6-year-old child out behind her seat. She was unable to get the 2-year-old out due to the intense flames, and that child died.
The 6-year-old was taken to an area hospital for treatment of burn injuries, but died on Thursday.
No charges have been filed and there is no evidence of criminal activity in the case.
The car fire is still under investigation.
Balsam Fire Department, along with highway patrol, responded to the scene.
No names are being released at this time.