Fire in Hickman Dec. 24 claims one life

Hickman Fire Department and Fulton County Fire and Rescue were paged to a fire at 1112 Walker Ave., Hickman on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24. The call came to the Fulton County Dispatch at 9:33 p.m. and both departments were sent at that time.

The first responder on the scene reported heavy smoke from the eaves of the wood frame structure.

The tenants of the residence reported an infant child still in the residence and was reportedly in the living room on a couch. The other seven occupants escaped the residence.

The 21-month-old male infant was found in the area previously reported by the tenants at 2:24 a.m. and did not survive the fire.

According to the Hickman Fire Department report, the rear area of the residence was fully engulfed with fire at that time. Firefighters attempted to make entry into the residence from the front and the rear of the residence, but were unable to gain entry. The metal roof started to implode into the structure hindering any type of entry.

Special equipment was called in to remove the metal roof so firefighters could gain access to the fire, according to John Amberg, Hickman Fire Chief.

The fire is believed to be electrical in nature due to the occupants saying the power glitches during the day had caused the heating unit to malfunction and quit working. The occupants were trying to heat the residence with a Kerosene heater and the cooking stove. A loud popping sound was heard just before the lights went off and the fire was noticed in the rear of the house.

Twenty-one firefighters responded and fought temperatures in the low teens for over seven hours while trying to fight the fire.

The Hickman Fire Department was assisted by Fulton County Fire and Rescue, Hickman Police Department, Ken-Tenn Ambulance, Fulton County Coroner’s Office and the Kentucky State Fire Marshall’s office.

The Hickman Fire Department sends its sincere condolences to all the family involved in this tragic event, Chief Amberg said.