2 dead in DeKalb County fire

SMITHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The remains of two bodies have been found in the ruins of a two-story log home that caught fire in DeKalb County early Wednesday morning, according to the DeKalb County sheriff.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said central dispatch received the call at 2:36 a.m. First responders found the log cabin located on River Watch Trace fully involved upon arrival. Multiple agencies responded to the call.

Ray said a neighbor discovered the house was on fire and called 911..

“When firefighters got there, we found the second floor of the house had already collapsed,” Ray said in a news release. “One vehicle there was already on fire and fully involved and another automobile had caught fire. We were able to put out the fire in the second car and we saved a detached garage that was next door.”

Because two vehicles were at the home when firefighters arrived, Ray said investigators feared more than one body might be found inside the home.

“After the fire we found the first body,” Ray said. “We later had to get some equipment to remove more rubbish and that’s when we found the other body.”

Ray said the conditions of the bodies because of the fire left investigators unable to identify them. The remains have been sent to the state medical examiner’s office in Nashville for possible identification through dental records.

Although the investigation is not complete, Ray does not suspect foul play at this time. The investigation is being handled by the Fire Investigation Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.

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