Man who died in Lovingston blaze identified

Authorities have identified the man who died in a Lovingston house fire and another man who sustained injuries in the blaze.

April Campbell said a family friend, James Shelton, died Tuesday night after being badly burned in the Sunday fire. Shelton lived in the house on Creekview Lane with Campbell’s mother, Linda Blackwell, and stepfather, David Blackwell, who was seriously injured in the blaze.

Nelson County’s emergency services director, Ray Uttaro, confirmed Shelton’s identity, which was not immediately released after the fire.

Authorities said the fire was reported at 1:45 a.m. Sunday, when Linda Blackwell drove to the Sheriff’s Office to report the fire, because she couldn’t go back into her house to use the phone.

Campbell said her mother initially heard several breaking sounds in the kitchen, and got up to investigate.

“She got up, and when she got up, there [were] already flames … in the kitchen,” she said.

Campbell said her mother ran outside, where her husband was already waiting, and hopped in her car to drive to the Sheriff’s Office.

She said her mother decided that, rather than trying to wake up a neighbor who may or may not have been at home, the 3-mile drive to the sheriff’s office would be a better option.

“She knew that somebody would be there and get help,” Campbell said.

While she was gone, Campbell said, David Blackwell ran back into the house, apparently to help Shelton escape the blaze.

When Linda Blackwell returned to the scene, she found both Shelton and her husband out of the home, her husband curled in a fetal position from the pain of his burns, Campbell said.

She said authorities airlifted David Blackwell to the University of Virginia Medical Center, opting to transport Shelton via ambulance.

Both men, Campbell said, suffered severe burns, covering 60 percent of their bodies, and that blood loss, among other things, was complicating her stepfather’s recovery.

She said he is also on a ventilator due to lung damage and might be suffering from pneumonia, so recovery will be a long road back.

“They told us it’s critical, and with pneumonia, and with that much [burning], infection could set in at any time,” Campbell said.

“It’s kind of just touch-and-go at this point.”

Campbell said that Shelton had been a fixture in the family for a long time, and that she and her two sons are taking care of a Jack Russell terrier that used to belong to their “Uncle Jim.”

Campbell said she and her brother also appreciate the presence of David Blackwell’s family from previous relationships.

“It’s always been just [my brother] and I, and now it’s all of us,” she said.

The Nelson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the blaze.

Sheriff David Brooks said the investigation has not found any evidence of foul play and is routine in the wake of a house fire.

Brooks is unsure how long the investigation will continue, he said.