Arson Ruled Out in Deadly Athens Fire

There are new details about a deadly fire that killed two people in Athens.

The Athens fire department says this is the first double fatal fire crews there can remember. It's also the only deadly fire they've had in the past seven years. But investigators point out the deaths could have been prevented if the home had fire detectors.

Athens Police Officer Sergeant Jason Garren says he was on patrol when he saw smoke coming from Webb Street at 2 a.m. Sunday.

" Them boys got on it pretty quick and when there's a high probability you've got someone in a home, our priorities are lives and property in that order," said James Benton, Athens Fire Marshall.

"We happened to look go to the bathroom and look out the window and we just seen the house was blazing on fire and it was just awful," said Nikala White, a neighbor.

Inside firefighters found homeowner Christopher Dyke lying facedown in front of the house. Barrie Sweeton was found facedown in bed. Neither made it.

 The fire ruined the inside of the house and all of the furniture in it and you can still see smoke outside where the fire melted shutters and the siding of the house. But fire marshalls are releasing very little information about this fire which killed two people.

 Neighbors like Nikala White had cousins who played with Dyke's children. Investigators say his children were not home when the fire broke out.

 " He would actually put a tent in the backyard and my cousins would play. I mean he's a real nice guy, really is. He loved his kids you could tell," said White.

" Anytime there's a loss of life it's a rough situation on the family members and it works on your firefighters. Takes a toll on them," said Benton.

Fire crews say this is the only death they've seen at a fire in Athens in the past seven years.But Benton says one death too many. He is stressing the importance of smoke detectors which he says could have saved the lives of these two people.

Arson investigators are trying to find out how the fire started. Firefighters do not believe the deaths are suspicious. Autopsies were performed Monday in Knoxville.