1961 — March 28, Residential fire (lightning?), Whitehead home, Dotsonville, TN            —     12    

— 12  Kingsport News, TN. “12 Killed in Blaze.” 3-29-1961, p. 1.

— 12  NFPA. “Large Loss of Life Fires of 1961,” NFPA Quarterly, V. 55, N. 3, Jan 1962, p. 324.

— 12  National Fire Protection Assoc. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003).

 

Narrative Information

 

NFPA: “Dwelling of Alex Whitehead near Dotsonville, Tenn., Mar. 28, 3:40 A.M., 12 killed: 3 Adults, 9 Children.

 

“The 31-year-old father, his wife, their 9 children, and 62-year-old grandfather were killed when fire consumed their 1-story, 30-ft. by 48-ft. log-wall dwelling.

 

“Although it could not be determined what started the fire, lightning is thought to be the most probable cause since there was a severe thunderstorm at the time of origin. A neighbor going by at 3:40 A.M. saw the fire. When the nearest fire fighters arrived from a community 8 miles away, they were met by smoldering ruins.” (NFPA. “Large Loss of Life Fires of 1961,” Quarterly of the NFPA, Vol. 55, No. 3, January 1962, p. 324.)

 

Newspaper

 

March 28: “Clarksville, Tenn. (AP) – Twelve persons from one family perished Tuesday [28^th] in a pre-dawn fire which destroyed their home in the nearby rural community of Dotsonville. They were Mr. and Mrs. Alex Whitehead, their nine children ranging in age from 13 years to nine months, and Mrs. Whitehead’s father, Albert Gibbs, who lived with the Whiteheads.

 

“Although firemen recovered only 10 recognizable charred bodies from the hot embers, Montgomery County Sheriff Kenneth Albright said there was no doubt in his mind that all nine children and the three adults died in the fire. ‘The bodies were horribly burned,’ said Deputy Sheriff Charles Binkley….

 

“Police and firemen were uncertain how the fire started but leaned toward the theory that the five-room log house was struck by lightning.

 

“The house was ablaze and almost ready to cave-in, Batson Harris Jr., a neighbor said, when he passed by before daylight on his way to Kentucky Lake on a fishing trip. He aroused neighbors but they were unable to reach the building because of the heat.

 

“The Whitehead home was located on a farm in the Dotsonville community, a few miles south of the Kentucky-Tennessee border in Middle Tennessee.” (Kingsport News, TN. “12 Killed in Blaze.” 3-29-1961, p. 1.)

 

Sources

 

Kingsport News, TN. “12 Killed in Blaze.” 3-29-1961, p. 1. Accessed 11-3-2014 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=76008748&sterm=dotsonville+fire

 

National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss of Life Fires of 1961,” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 55, No. 3, January 1962, p. 310-349.

 

National Fire Protection Association. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003). (Email attachment to B. W. Blanchard from Jacob Ratliff, NFPA Archivist/Taxonomy Librarian, 7-8-2013.)