Family mourns woman killed in house fire along with her 2 dogs

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF/Gray News) – A family is mourning a 63-year-old woman who was found dead after a house fire in South Carolina.

Debra Causey confirmed that her sister, 63-year-old Martha Bibbee, and her two dogs, Buttercup and Gizzey, died after her caught fire Thursday night.

“All I could say was fire,” Causey said. “And ‘Where was my sister at?’”

Horry County Fire Rescue said crews were dispatched at about 7:45 p.m. and a second alarm was later called out as more assistance was needed.

Causey said Martha Bibbee called her daughter to get help and her daughter could hear the crackling of the fire in the background. This would be the last time Bibbee’s family heard her voice.

“She couldn’t get out,” Causey said. “It was already too bad by the time she realized what was going on.”

Martha Bibbee’s husband of 14 years, Robbie Bibbee, said that he’s a volunteer firefighter with the Horry County Fire Rescue and was working a wildfire when he heard about the fire. He, unfortunately, could not respond to his wife in time.

Now, the family remembers Martha Bibbee for her love of dogs and her good spirit. They said her is the hardest moment they’ve had to go through.

“She was always a good-spirited person. She always was happy,” her niece, Karen Merck, said. “But she had a fiery side to her too, at times.”

Her family said Martha Bibbee was she was the biggest supporter of her family. As they work through the grief, the family said they will hold tight to photos and memories of her.

“She was a good person, just loved everybody,” her niece Karen Merck said through tears. “I have a lot of memories of her. She was one of my biggest supporters.”

Along with the loss of Martha Bibbee, the family is also dealing with the loss of their family home. Family members said that the home meant so much to them because they would gather around the table for family meals.

“It was one of the big things my grandparents were big on, was everyone sitting down and eating together,” Merck said.

Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard later said Bibbee died of smoke inhalation resulting from the fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help Marth Bibbee’s family as they make funeral arrangements.

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