Elderly man suffers severe injuries in residential fire; KSP investigating blaze

A local elderly man isn’t expected to survive injuries he suffered during a Thursday evening blaze at his residence.

A neighbor, John Anderson, spotted the fire at George Davis’ 119 Cool Camp Road residence and called 911 about 7 p.m., said Whitley County Sheriff Colan Harrell.

Emlyn Volunteer Fire Department Chief Matt Witt said Friday afternoon that Davis, 75, is currently in the hospital in Lexington, and, according to his brother, isn’t expected to pull through.

"We had a good response time and did a good job last night, but he had just been there too long," Witt noted.

Witt said firefighters were at the station when the blaze was reported and pulled a still breathing Davis’ from the burning residence about six minutes after they were first notified about the blaze.

Whitley County EMS treated him at the scene and he was initially transported to Baptist Regional Medical Center in Corbin, Harrell said in a press release.

The fire started on or near the couch inside the residence but firefighters aren’t sure what caused the blaze, Witt said.

Firefighters Buddy Ward and Henry Woster found Davis by the back door. Firefighters think Davis was trying to escape the fire but passed out before he could exit the insulated metal building, Witt said.

Witt said that Davis lived inside the building, which had a bedroom, living and bathroom inside.

The fire damage was limited to the front room near the couch with some damage to the front door.

A total of 10 firefighters and two fire trucks helped extinguish the blaze.

Ironically, about one year ago, firefighters responded to a blaze involving another metal insulated building on the opposite side of the road from where Davis lived.

Kentucky State Police Arson Investigator Brian Lewis is investigating the blaze to determine the cause of the fire and whether any foul play was involved.

The family requested that arson investigators be called, Witt noted.