1 dead in Henderson Co. mobile home fire

HENDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — The Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating a deadly mobile home fire near Lexington.

Firefighters say the fire broke out around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday at a home on Johnson Road.

Neighbor Kenneth Cruse heard the sirens. “The sirens kept going on and on and on, and I thought ‘something bad has happened,’” he said.

Investigators confirm one person died inside. Henderson County Fire Department Public Information Officer Chris Young said the cause is under investigation but that it could be weather related. “When we have severe storms we have roll through in our area, certainly lightning is always a possibility with the strikes that we have,” Young said.

They called in the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office to investigate, something Young said is common when someone dies in a fire.

Deputies shut down the street for several hours so investigators could work.

Young said the homeowner told him the mobile home had four smoke detectors. “We obviously are not sure at this point whether they were working smoke detectors or not,” he said.

Young said fire heavily damaged about a quarter of the home. Some of it is still intact. “If it happened to that house, it could happen to this one or the one next door,” Cruse said.

Cruse said he feels for the family. “If they need anything, that’s what we’re here for,” he said. “Our neighbors will help them.”

Investigators did not release the name of the victim. Firefighters said there was no one else inside the home at the time of the fire.