Fatal fire at Roan Mountain home under investigation

Published 5:40 pm Monday, December 18, 2017

Local and state officials are investigating a fire that destroyed a Roan Mountain home Monday morning after a body was discovered inside the residence.

Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford said officers with his department responded to a report of a structure fire at a home on Cove Creek Road Monday morning around 7 a.m.

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“When officers arrived on the scene the house was fully engulfed,” Lunceford said.

According to radio transmissions between 911 dispatchers and emergency personnel responding to the scene a person was reportedly trapped inside the residence while it was burning. Lunceford said a body was discovered in the kitchen area of the home.

“We haven’t confirmed the identity of the individual yet,” Lunceford said, adding family members of the resident have been notified, but medical records will be needed to make a positive identification.

Lunceford said the body of the deceased was transported from the scene and an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

Local officials contacted the State Fire Marshal’s Office and asked them to respond to the scene of the fire.

Lunceford said the State Fire Marshal is handling the investigation at this point, and no determination has been made yet as to how the fire started in the home. If the State Fire Marshal’s Office discovers anything that points to suspicious circumstances or foul play, Lunceford said his office would then launch an investigation into the death of the individual. At this time no foul play is suspected, Lunceford said.

In addition to firefighters, deputies of the Carter County Sheriff’s Office and an investigator with the State Fire Marshal’s office, an agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was also on the scene of Monday’s fire. A spokesperson with the TBI confirmed they had an agent at the scene but stated the agent was there simply assisting the Sheriff’s Office and State Fire Marshal’s Office in their investigation.

No additional information was immediately available as of press deadline on Monday.