Debbie Blank

Assistant Editor

Neighbors were concerned when they called 911 to report a fire at 13654 Tangman Road in Dearborn County Sunday, Nov. 1, at about 8:56 a.m. They said the homeowner was an elderly man who lived alone.

Fred McKenzie “woke up to the smell of smoke, then the smoke detector went off,” reported Sunman Rural Fire Department Assistant Chief Bill Craig. McKenzie made it out of the house on his own.

“The home was 60 percent involved he said. “The fire had already traveled up into the attic and roof line. It was traveling fast through the house. We had firefighters make entry into the front door.” A few minutes later, a propane tank exploded “so we pulled our guys back out.”

The home was a total loss. There were no injuries.

What was the blaze’s cause? A lamp with an incandescent bulb that had fallen over onto a mattress, the department’s state-certified investigators determined.

Over 40 volunteers responded, including 29 from Sunman and the rest from Morris and Manchester departments. Sunman personnel departed the scene around 3:30 p.m. with the last man leaving the station at 5 p.m.

The Dearborn and Ohio County Red Cross “responded very quickly. They did a good job for this guy,” according to the assistant chief. In addition to locating clothes and a hotel room in Lawrenceburg, volunteers Marc and Julie Dietz and Ken Courtney even had McKenzie’s prescription medicines refilled.

Debbie Blank can be contacted at 812-934-4343, Ext. 113; or debbie.blank@ batesvilleheraldtribune.com. To comment on stories, visit batesvilleheraldtribune.com.