A devastating house fire Sunday morning claimed the life of a Kilmichael resident.
Montgomery County 911 received the call at 8:49 a.m. on Feb. 11, reporting a residential fire in 600 block of Alvastage Road in Kilmichael. The Kilmichael Volunteer Fire Department swiftly responded to the emergency, dispatching four fire trucks and seven firefighters to the scene. Upon arrival, first responders were met with a mobile home fully engulfed in flames.
During their efforts extinguishing the fire, KVFD firefighters located the body of Bennie Thomas Kirkwood at the back door of the home. Montgomery County Coroner Allan Pratt pronounced Kirkwood dead at the scene at 9:34 a.m.
KVFD Chief Dave Eldridge commended his department for its exemplary response to the devastating incident.
“They did an excellent job,” he said. “We knocked the fire back from where we thought the man was. We found him very quickly at the back of the residence at the back door.”
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and the State Fire Marshal’s Office later conducted a thorough investigation into the fire.
“There was no foul play,” Sheriff Jeff Tompkins said. “We always like to check such matters out.”
The fire consumed a significant amount of resources with the firefighters utilizing 5,000 gallons of water to bring it under control within 45 minutes.
While this event is undeniably tragic, Chief Eldridge expressed appreciation for the quick and efficient response of his department.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, but Chief Eldridge believes it’s electrical in nature.
