Electrical Fire Is Blamed in Deaths of Scripps Kin
A slow-burning electrical fire was blamed for the blaze that killed the granddaughter of publishing magnate Edward Wyllis Scripps and her husband as they slept in their turn-of-the century home.
Ellen Scripps Davis, 84, was pulled from the bedroom of her burning home early Sunday by employees who lived at the Scripps Ranch, just north of San Diego. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Paramedics were unable to revive her husband, Everett Conley Davis, 87, who was found in a bathroom near the bedroom. A coroner determined Monday that the couple died from smoke inhalation.
On Monday, arson was ruled out as a cause of the blaze.
Sgt. Conrad Grayson, an arson investigator, said the fire apparently started in the living room and kitchen area, where there were many appliances.
“There’s a giant, black hole where there used to be a television, appliances and furniture,” he said. “The area is totally destroyed. We’ll probably never know whether it was wiring or an appliance.”
Ellen Scripps Davis was the granddaughter of E.W. Scripps, who founded his newspaper empire more than 100 years ago. Davis was a retired attorney.
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