Nine people died in a house fire at Evensville in Rhea County early Saturday morning.
The fire broke out around 6:15 a.m., apparently on the second floor where all the victims were sleeping.
The only person on the first floor, 18-year-old Joseph Alexander, was able to escape by jumping out a kitchen window. He told Channel 9 he was awakened by screams of a cousin, but he said there was no way to get upstairs because of the heavy smoke.
The junior at Rhea County High School said there was a smoke alarm on the first floor, but it was not working. He said there were no smoke alarms on the second floor.
The victims were identified as Reba Ann Alexander, 42; Krystal Alexander, 25; Misty Marie Alexander, 23; John David Smith II, 17; Jennifer Marie Edwards, 10; Lexie Weaks, 5; Angel Dawn Weaks, 2; Jaden Rhea Sullivan, 1; and Clarissa Sanchise, 1.
Coulter-Garrison Funeral Home at Dayton is in charge of the arrangements.
"The funeral services are incomplete. The family was too upset to talk about it today," an official of the funeral home said.
There were a large number of members of an extended family at the house because the family was preparing to move, officials said.
A neighbor saw the fire and called 911. Firefighters found flames coming out of the roof when they arrived and it took them about an hour to get the blaze under control.
Authorities said they do not believe foul play was involved. They believe the blaze somehow started upstairs.