A fire destroyed a Fairfield home early this morning, killing the 90-year-old mother of frequent BirminghamWatch contributor Robert Carter.

Carter said he was in bed when he smelled smoke. He went into the living room to find a broken lamp and the curtains on fire. He tried to put the fire out, but it spread quickly. He yelled for his mother and did manage to wake her up, but she was unable to escape the house because of the thick smoke, Carter said.

The fire swept to the attic and collapsed the roof, destroying the house, in the 700 block of 41st Street South in Fairfield.

Funeral arrangements for Ginny Carter, 90, have not been set.

A fund to accept donations has been set up at the Carters’ church, Garywood Assembly of God. For information, call 744-8135.