Mother, 2 daughters killed in Henderson house fire

CHESTER COUNTY, Tenn. — What’s usually a quiet street is flooded with cars as a community is mourning the loss of three people killed in a Thursday afternoon house fire in Henderson.

“We had three fatalities,” Henderson Fire Chief Glenn Bryan said. “All of them were transported to a hospital in Jackson. All three of them passed.”

The fire started a little after 3 p.m. in the 400 block of North Avenue. Those inside later died from their injuries. They reportedly died of smoke inhalation.

“It was an accidental fire. We believe the fire started in the kitchen around the stove area,” Bryan said.

We are now learning 41-year-old Donna Turner and her two daughters, Sierra Turner, 14, and Victoria Turner, around 20, were the only ones inside the home at the time the fire started.

Friends and neighbors say both Sierra and Victoria had disabilities.

“There was heavy smoke coming out of the structure. There was no visible fire when I got there,” Chief Bryan said.

Two pets, a dog and a cat, were found dead inside the home.

Chief Bryan says the family was found in the living room and the heat on the inside was indescribable.

“We opened up the front door, and it was extremely high heat and noticed that all of the fire was in the kitchen,” Chief Bryan said.

Officials say one key thing was not found inside the home — a working smoke detector.

“We’re proud to say we have installed over 800 smoke detectors in the city of Henderson. We do not know why this house did not have a working smoke detector,” Chief Bryan said.

He says it could have made a difference.

“I’ve been a fireman for over 38 years, and I’ve never seen a fatality in a house with a working smoke detector,” he said.

The community is now leaving flowers as they mourn the loss.

The husband and father of the victims has set up a GoFundMe page.