Man suffers smoke inhalation during fire

A Wofford man was transported to the hospital by ambulance for treatment of smoke inhalation following a structure fire early Friday afternoon.

The fire was reported shortly before 1:30 p.m. at a residence across the street from Wofford Baptist Church.

“It appears right now that an old fireplace got too hot and it got smoky in the house,” said Goldbug Volunteer Fire Chief Brandon Woods. “It looks like he was trying to draw the smoke out. He had a fan at the back door and a fan at the front door. What he was able to tell me was he was trying to get the fire out. He got overwhelmed with smoke and went down. It looks like he is going to be OK though.”

The victim’s brother pulled up to the residence and was able to get him out of the home onto the front porch before firefighters arrived. Firefighters tended to him at the scene until Whitley County EMS arrived to treat him and transport him by ambulance to Jellico Community Hospital.

Woods said that the victim, whose name he doesn’t know, was able to get most of the fire extinguished in the single-story wood-framed house before firefighters arrived.

“We did get everything that was burning in the house out,” Woods said. “Then we pulled the metal chimney off and got the smoke out of the house.”

About seven firefighters responded to the scene along with Whitley County EMS and Williamsburg Police Department Chief Wayne Bird, Detective Bobby Freeman and K-9 Officer Elijah Hunter.

The fire occurred about one mile north of the Goldbug Volunteer Fire Department of Ky. 26.

Most of the damage to the home occurred around the fireplace or was smoke related.