Crossville Chronicle, Crossville, TN

Area News

September 11, 2008

Five flee early morning flames

Smoke detectors credited with saving lives

Whether one calls it a premonition, or an uneasy feeling, Rita Davis listened to the voice inside her and two weeks ago the Wal-Mart cashier paused as she ended her shift and before going home, purchased two smoke detectors.

That act may very well have saved her life and the lives of her boyfriend and three of her children, including three-year-old twins.

"I don't know what it was, but something told me to buy smoke detectors so I bought two and had my boyfriend put them up when I got home," Davis said outside the charred rubble of what used to be her home.

The smoke alarms activated around 3:30 a.m., waking the two adults, the twins and a seven-year-old son. Fire had already enveloped the front room where the twins had been sleeping.

"When I woke up the whole bedroom was lit up by the fire, and I remember seeing grey smoke covering the ceiling," Davis said. "I remember getting up and D (boyfriend Dale Knabe) yelling, 'Fire. Get out. Get out.'

"I ran into the living room where the twins were. They were standing in the middle of the room and I grabbed them and we got out. I honestly don't know how we got out. The next thing I remember was standing out here and all the popping and cracking sound from the fire."

Even though half of the front room was being consumed by the fast moving fire, neither Davis nor her children were injured.

Knabe was treated in the emergency room at Cumberland Medical Center after receiving a serious cut to his right leg when he tried to reenter the burning residence to retrieve car keys so the family vehicle could be moved. Heat from the fire melted lens covers on a van and car parked in the nearby driveway.

"It appears to be an electrical fire," Cumberland County Fire Chief Jeff Dodson said at the scene. "There is no reason to believe anything else at this point."

As dawn broke, Rita Davis was peering into the ashes for any signs of the keys to the only vehicle the family has for transportation. She was also looking for her wallet which contained what was left of her paycheck after having bought groceries.

"There's the twins' little fold-up chairs," she said, pointing toward blackened and twisted metal on what was once the front porch. "There's my computer chair."

She thought of children's birth certificates, medical records, family pictures and items passed down in the family.

"I've lost everything. I don't have a home," she finally said. "I'm too old to start over."

The fire department called for a representative of the Cumberland County Chapter of the American Red Cross to come to the scene to assist with emergency housing and other assistance.

Text Only
Area News
  • Plane has rough landing

    No one was injured when a pilot veered off a runway to avoid a deer that was in the path of his light airplane as he landed the craft.

    May 25, 2012

  • Lemert grave site rededication set Monday

    The restoration of the gravesite of 1st Sgt. Milo Lemert, Cumberland County's only WWI Medal of Honor recipient, is finally complete after months of repair and rebuilding. A special dedication will be held May 28 at the City Cemetery at Sgt. Lemert's gravesite. The dedication will immediately follow the 11 a.m. annual Memorial Day Ceremony for Cumberland County in downtown Crossville. The public is invited to both events.

    May 25, 2012

  • County to use new district boundaries to fill vacancy

    The Cumberland County Commission approved a resolution to use new district boundary lines in the August County General Election in order to fill the vacancy created by the death of 9th District Commissioner Clyde Cramer.

    May 25, 2012

  • THP to enforce seat belt usage this Memorial Day weekend

    The Tennessee Highway Patrol is planning to step up efforts to enforce seat belt usage over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. State Troopers along with other state and local law enforcement agencies are participating in the national seat belt enforcement campaign, Click it or Ticket, May 21 through June 3.

    May 25, 2012

  • Shooting victim identified; accomplice jailed

    A burglar who fled from a home invasion after his partner was shot by a resident may be held responsible for his friend's death, sources close to the investigation of Tuesday's fatal shooting have told the Chronicle.

    May 25, 2012

  • Healthy eating, activity earn CO honors

    Students at Crab Orchard Elementary have been eating better and getting more activity during the past school year. Those efforts have been recognized with prestigious awards for school health.

    May 24, 2012

  • Defendant pleads guilty to avoid jail

    A Crossville area man told a Criminal Court judge earlier this month he was entering a plea of guilty to fraud to keep from going to jail.

    May 24, 2012

  • Man sentenced in sexual battery, statutory rape cases

    A Crossville man charged with raping one woman and with having sexual relations with an underaged teen in a separate incident has pleaded guilty to related charges and was sentenced to jail.

    May 24, 2012

  • County to build, operate Big South Fork Visitor's Center

    The Big South Fork Visitor's Center may become a reality after the county commission narrowly approved building and operating the facility once the project is completed.

    May 24, 2012

  • shooting.jpg One dead in shooting near PH

    One person is dead, a homeowner slightly injured, and at least a third person is in custody following a fatal shooting that may have been sparked by a home invasion near the Pleasant Hill community. And a fourth person might be connected with the incident.

    May 23, 2012 1 Photo

Graduation 2012
  • graduation.jpg Graduation Salutes

    View special salutes here! Congratulations to all our 2012 graduates! To see all our graduates, check out the Friday, May 11th edition of the Crossville Chronicle!

    May 14, 2012 1 Photo

Section Teases
Seasonal Content
Readers' Choice 2012
  • readers choice badge.jpg Reader's Choice 2012 Winners

    The results are in! Here are just a few of our winners. To see the entire list, check out the Wednesday, March 28th edition of the Crossville Chronicle!

    March 28, 2012 1 Photo

Parade
AP Video
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium 50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
Hyperlocal Search
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Popular Searches
Powered by Local.com
Facebook
Weather Radar