Former Firefighter Dies After Fire At His Home

A former firefighter has been fatally injured in a fire at his northeast Tennessee home, despite being rescued by two fire department volunteers. One of them was his nephew.

Authorities in Hawkins County said 41-year-old Buddy Albert Horton of rural Surgoinsville was found unconscious in his burning home Thursday afternoon. Horton was pulled from a second-story window by firefighters Joey Horton and Justin Rush.

Buddy Horton died a few hours later at Wellmont Holston Valley Medical Center. The Kingsport Times-News reported Horton had been a volunteer on the Stanley Valley Volunteer Fire Department for a decade.
   
Rush fell from a ladder while rescuing Buddy Horton and was kept overnight at the hospital for a concussion.