A child was killed in a Kimball house fire.A 12-year-old boy who died in a house fire Thursday morning in Kimball, Tenn., was found in the home's basement, authorities said.
Authorities identified the boy as Jacob Watts, a student at Jasper Middle School.
About 5 a.m. CST Thursday, firefighters and officials arrived at the home on Judy Drive and found it engulfed in flames, Marion County Sheriff Ronnie "Bo" Burnett said.
Six people were inside, including three adults and three children, Burnett said.
"Five made it out, but a juvenile male did not make it out of the house," the sheriff said of the fire, which apparently broke out while the people inside were asleep.
A woman who was badly burned in the fire was taken to Erlanger hospital in Chattanooga then transferred to an Atlanta-area burn center, Burnett said. He said another person in the home might have been admitted to Erlanger hospital, but the other three people from the home were treated and released.
Authorities didn't identify the other people at the house.
The sheriff said local firefighters turned the scene over Thursday afternoon to state investigators who will try to determine how the fire started.
During the holidays, the sheriff said, people should be careful of taxing their homes' electrical systems.
"This time of the year, a lot of people put up extra lights, and the weather's changing and people are using space heaters," Burnett said, noting he didn't know yet what started the fire.
"Just please be careful, and make sure you're not doing anything to encourage a fire to start," he said.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or twitter.com/BenBenton or www.facebook.com/ben.benton1 or 423-757-6569.