posted May 15, 2008
A Lookout Valley man barely escaped with his life when fire broke out in his mobile home early Thursday morning.
Kenneth Baisden, 55, told firefighters that he woke to the sound of a smoke alarm, and as his home began to fill with smoke, he realized that he would not be able to get out the front door. Mr. Baisden managed to find two of his three pet dogs and escape out a back door. The third dog perished in the fire.
The Chattanooga Fire Department was dispatched to the fire at 735 O'Grady Drive at 5:17 a.m. Battalion Chief Bob Dixon said the firefighters worked quickly to extinguish the fire, but the trailer was considered a total loss. Chief Dixon said that Mr. Baisden showed signs of smoke inhalation, but he declined to be transported to a hospital.
Mr. Baisden lost just about everything he owns and reportedly does not have any insurance. He does have relatives nearby who will give him a place to stay. Volunteers with the American Red Cross said they would help Mr. Baisden replace some medications that were burned up in the fire.
Lieutenant Anthony Moore with the Fire Investigation Division said the cause of the fire appears to be accidental, though what exactly sparked the blaze remains undetermined.
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