Fire fatality reported in Trenton
By Crystal Burns
Gibson County Fire Chief Bryan Cathey said the resident of a Trenton home died in a fire early Sunday morning.
Cathey said the body has been sent to Memphis for an autopsy to determine the cause of death and provide a positive identification. Family and friends have identified the deceased as Doris Patterson, a longtime real estate agent in the north Gibson County area.
Cathey said firefighters were paged to the home on the Dyersburg Highway, just outside the Trenton city limits at 4 a.m. Sunday. A passerby saw the glow of the fire and called 911.
Cathey said when firefighters arrived on the scene, the house had already fallen in, leaving crews to knock down the fire and smoke in order to search the home for the occupant. Cathey said the body was found near the front door.
The state Fire Investigative Unit is investigating the fire, but Cathey said there is no foul play suspected. Investigators will try to determine what started the fire and where in the home it originated.
Cathey said it took about 45 minutes to an hour to completely put out the fire, but officials remained on the scene about four hours because of the care taken when a fatality occurs.
“We’re very careful not to move anything because everything is evidence,” he said.
The Gibson County Fire, Trenton Fire and Gibson County Sheriff’s departments and Gibson County EMS responded to the call. It’s the third fire fatality to occur in the county in 2019 after a Milan man and a Trenton man died in their homes earlier this year.
