New details have been released and the investigation continues on the house fire in Fall Branch, where a woman died and another person was seriously burned.
The house fire occurred Saturday around 8:50 AM on 19185 Horton Highway. Greene County Sheriff Wesley Holt said seven people lived in the structure, but only six were able to escape. Shirley Manis, age 77, passed away in the fire. One of the occupants who escaped was taken to Holston Valley Medical Center for treatment of second and third degree burns. Another occupant was helped out of the home by their brother, Marcus Delancey, who lived two houses down. Delancey got a ladder and climbed onto the roof of the home to help her exit.
According to the report from the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, one of the occupants stated she noticed the wall behind the deep freezer in the kitchen was on fire. At that time she yelled for the other occupants to get out and stated there was a fire in the home, but by the time she got out the house, it was fully engulfed. Fire fighters from the United, Fall Branch, Sulphur Springs, Gray Volunteer Fire Departments, and firemen from the Greeneville Fire Department responded to the fire. The Debusk Rehab Unit, Greene County EMS, and the American Red Cross also responded to the scene.
Investigators with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation bomb and arson division and investigators with the Greene County Sheriff’s Department continue their investigation into the cause of the fire. The remains were sent to the William L. Jenkins Forensic Center for an autopsy. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time.