Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
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UPDATE from the Citizen-Times, 3:18 p.m.: Sad remembrance of the East Asheville landscaper killed in today’s fire. John Hines Travis Jr. was 46.
Neighbor Dawn Smith called 911 shortly after daybreak when she let her dogs out into her backyard fence and noticed smoke coming from an attic vent in Travis’ home.
“He has a woodstove, and normally when it’s cold he has smoke coming from his chimney,” Smith said. “It wasn’t that much smoke (from the vent), but when I saw that, I knew it wasn’t normal.”
Like the Kittles family, Smith said she and her husband and small child were beneficiaries of Travis’ kindness.
“He was so sweet,” said Smith, who moved to the neighborhood three years ago. “He had this giant garden, and he would bring us vegetables.”
Demelza Kittles recalled another example of Travis’ kindness – after a heavy snow a few winters back when everyone in the neighborhood lost electricity. Kittles’ husband was away and couldn’t get back home because of the snow, so she was alone with their three children in a cold, dark house. Unsolicited, Travis showed up at her door with firewood for their fireplace.
Read the full article here.
UPDATE from the Citizen-Times, 9:27 a.m.:
A fire this morning claimed the life of an East Asheville man.
The fire at a home at 25 Mountain View Road off Tunnel Road near Paramount Kia was reported just after 7 a.m.
The deceased person was described as a 46-year-old white male, according to Jimmy Cowan, Asheville Fire Department Battalion Chief. Officials at the scene did not identify the victim but said he was the only resident at the house.
Fire crews were still at the scene as of 9 a.m. but did not say what caused the fire. The fire was under control at that time.
Members of the Asheville-Buncombe Arson Task Force were also on the scene. For anyone to have to experience a fire in the home, this can be life-changing, especially if the unfortunate situation of someone losing their life. Understandable, victims would want to try and get their life back on track, even after something like this. Before anything should happen, immediate fire damage restoration is important to consider, as you don’t want the destruction from the smoke/fire to cause further damage. Finding someone who could help you with this may be the first step to getting your home back to normal.
Citizen-Times link here.
From FOX Carolina:
The Asheville Fire Department is reporting one person died in a house fire Wednesday morning.
The fire was reported at 7:32 a.m. at a home on Mountain View Road.
A spokesperson for the fire department said the male victim was found inside the bathroom
Firefighters are investigating the blaze. They said they had the fire under control by 8:20 a.m.
There is no word yet on who the victim is or what sparked the fire.
FOX Carolina link here.
According to WLOS, the fire was at 25 Mountain View Road, a West Asheville address.
