Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 18, 1995 TAG: 9502200006
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
Joe Glenn Crook, 61, was found in the living room of his trailer off Virginia 702 in Redwood, said Claude Webster, the county's director of public safety.
An investigation revealed that the fire started in the kitchen after a two-burner hot plate was turned on to heat what was believed to be water in an aluminum pot, Webster said.
The hot plate, which was on top of a wooden table, ignited some combustible items close by, including clothes and cardboard boxes, he said.
Webster said it is believed that Crook fell asleep in the living room after he turned on the hot plate.
Crook's body has been sent to the medical examiner to confirm the cause of death.
Authorities believe Crook was the only person inside the mobile home when the fire started about 2 a.m., Webster said.
The trailer was engulfed by flames when Glade Hill and Rocky Mount firefighters arrived.
Crook was the first person in Franklin County to be killed in a fire this year - but he was at least the 11th fire fatality in Western Virginia since the week before Christmas.
Three children and their mother died in a fire in the Snow Creek section of Franklin County on Dec. 21.
Keywords:
FATALITY
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.