Stacy W. Delekta, 98, widow of the founder of Delekta’s Pharmacy, died in her home in Warren yesterday morning when a fire of undetermined origin swept through the small bungalow on Seymour Street.

The Providence Journal / Bill Murphy

WARREN — The 98-year-old widow of the founder of Delekta’s Pharmacy, an East Bay landmark, was killed in a fire at her home yesterday morning.

The body of Stacy W. Delekta was found in the basement of her 1½-story bungalow at 91 Seymour St. after firefighters were called to the house at just after 10 a.m.

It took about 45 minutes for the more than 50 firefighters from Bristol and Warren to get the blaze under control, said Deputy Fire Chief Norman Blake. The fire was extinguished by noon.

Blake could not say how the fire started or where it originated. Investigators from the state fire marshal’s office were inspecting the house yesterday.

Delekta’s late husband, Ignatius F. Delekta, worked at the pharmacy at 496 Main St. for 15 years before taking over the store in 1940 and operating it under his name. He ran the drugstore, famous for its soda fountain and coffee cabinets, for 45 years before his death in 1985.

The store, with its black and gold sign, is an immediately recognizable feature of downtown Warren. It was passed on to the Delektas’ son, Ignatius Jr., and he in turn passed it on to his son, Eric.

Eric Delekta has maintained the store as an old-fashioned pharmacy. He declined comment yesterday on his grandmother’s death.

The three-bedroom shingled house with green shutters was built in 1905. It sustained heavy damage in yesterday’s fire. The roof was badly charred and the windows around the first floor were smashed by firefighters working to extinguish the blaze.

At noon, after the fire had been put out, a single hose snaked up the front steps and in through the main entrance facing Barden Lane. The wooded yard was cordoned off by yellow police tape.

The Warren Fire Department sent three fire engines to the scene and was aided by a fire engine and ladder truck from Bristol and a rescue vehicle from Barrington. Swansea firefighters were stationed at the main fire station in Warren as backup.

akuffner@projo.com