TheTimesTribune.com, Corbin, KY

November 24, 2008

Mother killed, four injured in fire


Times-Tribune Staff Report

A mother was killed and four others ­— including her 14-year-old son — were injured in a mobile home fire early Sunday morning.

According to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Department, the fire occurred just after 4 a.m. at 1190 High Moore Road in London. Though the sheriff’s department did not release the name of the victim, WLEX-TV reported that Jeannette Smith, 35, died inside the blaze.

Four others — Smith’s boyfriend, two of his relatives and her teenage son — were injured in the fire. Three adults were flown to University of Kentucky Medical Center for treatment and were listed in serious condition, according to a press release. The teenager was treated and released from St. Joseph London.

The home was equipped with a gas furnace, but the gas supply was not activated at the time of the fire, according to a press release from the sheriff’s department.

The release stated the home was being heated with an electric stove oven and supplemental heaters.

A cause of the fire had not been determined as of Sunday evening. The Laurel County Major Crimes Task Force and the Kentucky State Police Arson Investigation Section are investigating the case.