| One dead, one injured in fire
By David Hedges, Publisher
thetimesrecord.net
A fire caused when gasoline was used to start a fire in a wood stove killed one man and seriously injured another, authorities said.
The fire at the mobile home residence of Ernest Petrackis at 1725 Paxton Ridge was reported just before 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to Lt. John Starcher of the Walton Volunteer Fire Dept.
The home located about 5-1/2 miles off of Ambler Ridge, south of Walton, was destroyed.
Starcher said Petrackis, 48, suffered second- and third-degree burns to his face, arm, hands and abdomen. He was taken to the Burn Intensive Care Unit at Cabell Huntington Hospital where he was listed in serious condition Wednesday morning.
The man killed was believed to be Jack Martin Jr., 50, of Long Ridge. Officials were still waiting on an official confirmation of the identity of the charred body found inside the home.
According to firefighters, the men were building a fire in a woodstove at the singlewide mobile home. Martin allegedly threw gasoline on the fire to get it started, according to what Petrackis told rescue workers on the scene.
Carpenter said Petrackis told firefighters, "'I don't know why he threw gasoline on it. I had the fire going.'"
"Ernie made it out and got the neighbors to call 911," Deputy Mike King of the Roane Sheriff's Dept. said. "But Mr. Martin was still in the home."
The state fire marshal's office, along with King, is investigating the fire.
Three fire departments and five fire trucks responded to the blaze. Walton sent four firefighters, the Frame VFD had seven and Gandeeville-Harmony VFD had three.
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