Dec. 08--A 19-year-old Knoxville man has died of injuries suffered Saturday morning in a mobile home fire on J.R. Drive off Amherst Road, according to fire authorities.
It was the first fire-related fatality of 2013, Knoxville Fire Department spokesman Capt. D.J. Corcoran said.
Corcoran identified the man as Mark A. Jarnigan of 2719 J.R. Drive. He died at University of Tennessee Medical Center.
Jarnigan's twin brother, name unavailable, was taken to the medical center for treatment of what Corcoran described as mild smoke inhalation.
KFD was dispatched to the J.R. Drive address at 8:08 a.m. after a report of a residential fire with possible victims still inside.
"Neighbors heard a commotion, saw smoke and called E-911," Corcoran said.
Firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the structure when they arrived.
"One of the brothers was already outside the mobile home and the other was inside," Corcoran said. "We found him on the floor and pulled him outside. He was transported to University of Tennessee Hospital with severe smoke inhalation."
Firefighters contained damage to a laundry room, where the fire is believed to have started.
"We know it started in the laundry room. It could have been electrical or it could have been something as simple as not cleaning out duct work or the lint filter," he said.
Corcoran said there were three fire-related fatalities in 2012.
Copyright 2013 - The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Tenn.
