Decatur Co. man killed in house fire, family speaks out

PARSONS, Tenn. — Family members are mourning the loss of an 80-year-old Decatur County man who died in an overnight house fire.

“Anytime you have a loss of life, it touches,” Decatur County Station 1 Fire Chief Johnny Maness said.

Maness said a house on Walter Garrett Road near Parsons went up in flames just after 10 p.m. Wednesday with John Baker and two of his family members inside.

Investigators say a father and son escaped through a window, but tragically, Baker never made it out.

“He couldn’t get out through the window, and we found him inside the house,” Maness said.

John’s son-in-law Jeff Horner lives next door. After seeing the flames, he ran to the house and looked all over for Baker.

“We couldn’t find him because smoke was so bad,” Horner said.

By the time firefighters arrived, Chief Maness says part of the house was already destroyed.

“When we got here, the house was pretty much already down in once section of it,” Maness said.

While friends and family mourn the loss of Baker, his legacy will not be forgotten.

“He was very kind, gentle and loving,” Deborah Lee, a friend of the family, said. “He loved everybody. He loved his family, his friends and he loved the Lord.”

Fire officials say the State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.

Family members say they will be holding a memorial service for John Baker at Iron Hill Pentecostal Church in Parsons.