Neighbors Mourn Loss of Soddy-Daisy Fire Victim

"But even the toughest of men cannot always survive second degree burns over 40 percent of their body.

Chief Guffey adds, "Your kidneys try to keep up because it’s producing fluid out, you get infections because the first two layers of skin are gone."

That could have happened to Ralph Grissom, 83.

Chief Guffey says he doesn’t know Grissom’s exact cause of death, but is very familiar with the horrific events leading up to it.

Chief Guffey adds, "He had been wearing pajamas and had his stove on for extra heat in the house."

Chief Guffey says Grissom got too close to the stove and his synthetic pajamas went up in flames.

"Any type of synthetic material melts, it doesn’t burn and it melts first and then it tries to start burning. Well, when it melts it melts to your body, it doesn’t burn off you," says Chief Guffey.

Grissom threw himself into the shower, but the damage was already done.

Hours later, his wheelchair bound wife, who was there when it happened, was left without a companion.

Chief Guffey adds, "She actually fell trying to help him and ended up busting her nose. I had the emt’s look at her."

Bill Kelsay, a neighbor, says, "She depended on him a lot and that makes it an even greater loss."

Grissom, we’re told, was Navy veteran who looked after his neighbors on a daily basis, like Bill Kelsay.

Kelsay says Grissom even gave him the hat off his head.

"Because he didn’t like me wondering around without a hat.  He might not have been a fancy politician or some thing like a sports hero, but he was a darn good asset to this place," says Kelsay.