Jan. 18--A Maryville man suffered third-degree burns, his mother suffered smoke inhalation and the family pet lost its life when a fire engulfed their home Monday morning, the Maryville Fire Department said today.
Deputy Chief David Hodges said Jacob Holt, 26, Comfort Avenue, suffered third-degree burns to his hands, feet and chest. He was taken by Rural/Metro Ambulance Service to the University of Tennessee Medical Center where he was airlifted by LifeStar to Vanderbilt Burn Center in Nashville, Hodges said. No information on his condition was available this morning at Vanderbilt.
Hodges said the victim's mother, Nancy Holt, Comfort Avenue, was taken by Rural/Metro to Blount Memorial Hospital where she was treated and released for smoke inhalation. Both victims lived at the home and their dog, a chihuahua, died in the fire, Hodges said.
The chief said firefighters were dispatched to the fire at 606 Comfort Ave.,at 8:42 a.m., controlled the fire at 9 a.m. and had it extinguished by about 9:30 a.m.
Hodges said when firefighters were leaving the fire station on West Broadway Avenue, they could see smoke from the fire at the house located about two miles from the station. "You could see a big column of smoke and so they knew they had a working fire. When they pulled up on the scene, they had heavy smoke and fire coming out of the living room windows," he said.
The chief said the fire started in the living room and spread to the hallway bathroom and kitchen. The wood-frame home was a total loss, Hodges said.
"It is an ongoing investigation but, no, I don't think it would be suspicious," the chief said regarding the cause of the fire.
Copyright 2012 - The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Tenn.
