| Sources |
- [S113] Manes Funeral Home, (http://www.manesfuneralhome.com), 21 Jul 2009.
Myrtle Wood Conard obituary
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 25 Jan 2003.
The McGaha Family
Danny Roy McGaha Jr., age 22, Jessica Margaret Grayson McGaha, age 27, Cheyenne Dale Locklear, age 5, Daniel James McGaha, age 23 months, and Hanna Gale McGaha, age 9 months, all passed away Saturday, January 25, 2003 due to a tragic house fire.
Danny and Jessica’s family was a very loving family that worked together, played together, had hard times but stayed together.
Danny McGaha was preceded in death by his uncle, S. Glenn Conard, and cousin, Melissa Hale Brooks.
He is survived by his devoted parents, Danny Roy McGaha Sr. and Rebecca Sue Conard McGaha, and brother, James Ashley McGaha, all of Bybee, TN; paternal grandparents, Pauline Green, of Newport, and the late Ashley Green; maternal grandparents, Myrtle L. Conard, of Cosby, and the late Rev. James Blaine Conard; uncles and aunts, Wanda Stanley, Jeff Lillard, Chester McGaha, Vicki S. Green, all of Newport; and Albert R. Green, of Thomasville, NC; J.B. Conard Jr., of Cosby; Dale and Janice Conard, of Waynesville, NC; Bobby and Brenda Conard, of Cosby; Wayne Conard, of White Pine; Mike and Lorane Runyan, of Newport; Chuck and Myrna Livesay, of Church Hill; and Jake and Karen Hale, of Parrottsville; and a host of cousins and friends.
Jessica Margaret Grayson McGaha, she is survived by her mother, Lore L. Grayson, of Victor, Montana; father, James Dale Grayson and companion, Diane Gibson, of Ft. Mills, SC; maternal grandparents, Thorvald and Anna Vlevog, of Corvallis, Montana; paternal grandparents, Margaret Grayson, of Alburquerque, New Mexico, and the late James Aaron Grayson; brother and sister-in-law, Michael and Heather Eldredge, of Salt Lake City, Utah; sister and brother-in-law, Tahra and Barry Wolf, of Rock Springs, Wyoming; sister, Terri Gibson, of Fort Mills, SC; aunts and uncles, Korine Walterscheid, of Grand Junction, Colorado; Kathy Pringle, of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Ray Grayson, of Evanston, Wyoming; John Grayson and Kenneth Grayson, both of Salt Lake City, Utah; and a host of cousins and friends.
She was preceded in death by her cousin, Daniel Eldredge.
Cheyenne Locklear, age 5, who died with her family, is survived by her father, Charles Locklear Jr.; grandparents, Charles Locklear Sr. and Betty Locklear; aunts, Lyn Rose Locklear and Myra Locklear, all of St. Pauls, NC; and is also survived by Jessica’s family information, stated above.
Daniel James McGaha and Hanna Gale McGaha are survived by the family members of the late Danny Roy Jr. and Jessica McGaha, as stated above, due to the fact they all passed away in the tragic fire.
Funeral services will be held 8 p.m. Wednesday, January 29, 2003 at Manes Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Ron Ball and Rev. Rick Carr officiating.
Burial will be 11 a.m. Thursday in the Hannah Cemetery on Conard Road, Cosby.
Family will receive friends from 5 until 8 p.m. Wednesday prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the McGaha’s Memorial Fund at the National Bank Tennessee, 262 E. Broadway, Newport, TN 37821.
Manes Funeral Home in charge.
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 26 Jan 2003.
Family of Five Killed in Fatal Fire
Newport Police Chief Clay Webb, center, confers with Newport Fire Chief Wayne Butler Saturday morning at the scene of a house fire which claimed the lives of a Newport couple and their three children. © 2003 NPT PHOTO BY STEVE BLANCHETT
NEWPORT -Smoke and flames claimed the lives of all five members of a Newport family Saturday morning in a fire which investigators believe was started by smoldering fireplace coals which ignited hay on the front porch of the residence.
Newport Fire Chief Wayne Butler said the death toll in Sunday's fire equals that of a house fire in the late 1980s which claimed the lives of five people in a rental house off Fifth Street.
The fire was first reported at 6:50 a.m. Saturday at the residence of Danny McGaha Jr., 22, at 629 Upper Broad Street. The victims of the fire are believed to be McGaha; his 25-year-old wife, Jessie McGaha; and the couple's three children—five-year-old Cheyenne, two-year-old Daniel, and seven-month-old Hannah, said Danny McGaha's mother, Bybee resident Rebecca Conard McGaha.
As Newport firefighters, police, and rescue squad officers arrived at the scene as the sun rose on Saturday, relatives of the McGaha family stood anxiously in a nearby mini-park off English Street or wept in their vehicles parked along the streets near the fire-blackened house.
Newport police were dispatched to the McGaha residence at 6:50 a.m. after someone dialed 9-1-1 to report the blaze.
Patrolmen James Holt and Patrick Sheldon were the first investigators at the scene. Holt said they heard the victims' cries for help, but were unable to get inside the residence from either the front or the rear because of the dense smoke and flames.
The Newport Fire Department had its first truck at the scene within ten minutes of the initial call. Firefighter Mark Ramsey said flames were coming out of the front windows and through the roof near a chimney when the fire department arrived.
Firefighters battled the blaze in sub-freezing temperatures with frozen snow making for difficult footing. The water from the fire hoses also began to freeze, making it more difficult for firefighters and rescue workers to do their jobs.
I was the first one here," said Patrolman Holt. "One of the neighbors called it in, and it was about 6:50 when we got the call. I was here within 10 seconds because I was on Cosby Highway. I pulled up and the house was fully engulfed in the back.
"I went to the front to see if I could find anybody. I heard somebody hollering for help. I heard him holler, 'Help me' one time, and after that we couldn't get any response from anybody," Holt said.
The officer said he tried several times and from several locations to find a way into the house or to provide an escape route for anyone inside, but was pushed back by the flames and smoke.
"I went to the back and jerked the air conditioner out of the back window but couldn't get any response there," Holt said. "So I came back to the front door to try to get in, but there was so much fire and smoke we couldn't get in. We knocked a window out to see if we could get to anybody but there was still no response.
"I went to the back door and kicked it open and the smoke come out on us and we couldn't get into the house to get anybody," Holt added.
After the fire was extinguished, fire department and police investigators began the initial process of determining the cause of the blaze. A state arson investigator arrived at the scene and closed the area while a detailed investigation is conducted.
"At this time we hate to speculate as to the starting of the fire," said Newport Fire Chief Wayne Butler. "The police officers were first on the scene and they went around to the back because the front door was burning. They went to the back and tried to get in but couldn't because of the smoke.
"After that the house was pretty well engulfed when the fire department got here at approximately 7 a.m.," Chief Butler said. "We had a good response and the weather wasn't a real big factor. They got it knocked down and everything is cold; we're waiting for the state fire marshal to come in, so we will know more the specifics of what happened after he gets here.
"Two shifts were on duty at that time," the chief added. "It's our shift change, so we were fortunate to have 17 men on response plus the police officers."
The brown frame, single-story home is located just off English Street surrounded by a chain-link fence. The yard contained several colorful plastic toys including a purple bicycle which were the children's. Snow, ice, and soot covered some of the children's toys outside of the residence.
Although the investigation was still in its early stages at Plain Talk presstime on Saturday, both Newport Police Criminal Investigator George Grooms and firefighters at the scene said he appears that hot ashes and coals removed from a fireplace and dumped into a wheelbarrow on the front porch were the cause of the fire.
It appears that the wheelbarrow overturned and the hot coals ignited hay stacked on the front porch. Then the blaze burned through the front living room wall and spread throughout the house.
Firefighter Ray Keifer said that Danny McGaha's body was found in the living room near the window where he may have been trying to find a way out for the family. It is likely that it was his voice the police officers heard soon after arriving at the scene.
The children were still in their beds in a side bedroom near the front of the house, investigators said. The blaze had blasted out the bedroom window, exposing the charred crib and bed.
Keifer, who has been on the force for 29 years, said this was one of the worst fire deaths scene he has ever seen in Newport. Not far away off Upper Broad Street several years ago, fire claimed the lives of two Dunn family members, said Keifer.
Another fatal fire occurred in the early 1990s in downtown Newport when the Woodlawn Café burned, killing four people, said Chief Butler. The fire was deliberately set, and one person was convicted in the deaths.
"When the police arrived they didn't hear any smoke alarms. As far as we know there weren't any here. We had apartment fires [off Prospect Avenue last week] and there were no smoke detectors," said Chief Butler.
"We can't stress enough the importance of smoke and fire detectors," said Chief Butler, standing in front of the McGaha's house about 8:30 a.m.
Neighbors and friends comforted some relatives, including Rebecca McGaha, who stood at the nearby mini-park off English Street crying in the arms of a friend.
She said that her sister-in-law, Wanda Stanley, called her about 7 a.m. to alert her to the fire. She arrived in minutes from Bybee. She said that her son, "Danny, Jr., worked at the Cracker Barrel."
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 28 Jan 2003.
Community reeling in wake of tragic fire on Saturday
Danny McGaha Jr., at left, and his wife, Jessica in a recent photo with their three children, from left, 9-month-old Hanna, two-year-old Daniel, and five-year-old Cheyenne. (photo submitted)
NEWPORT—Few local residents are unaware of the tragic house fire that claimed the lives of five local people on Saturday.
Offers of assistance for their extended family have begun to come in from as far away as Lake City and Harriman.
At Newport's Cracker Barrel—where fire victim Danny McGaha Jr. worked—Associate Manager David McGaha told the Plain Talk on Monday that he had received calls from employees of Cracker Barrel restaurants in Lake City and Harriman asking how and where to contribute to a fund to help defray burial costs for the Danny McGaha family, all five of whom died in a Saturday-morning fire at their home off Upper Broad Street.
In addition to McGaha, 22, his wife, Jessica, 27, and their three children, Cheyenne Locklear, 5, Daniel, 2, and Hanna, 9 months, lost their lives in the fire.
David McGaha, who is no relation to the victims, said that, although no one from his store had called any other Cracker Barrel restaurant, the employees had seen news reports and have reached out to help.
"I hired Danny personally, I think it was in late October or early November, and he has been a hard worker and was well-liked here at Cracker Barrel," said McGaha. "He was quiet and kept to himself and always did his job."
McGaha said that Danny would often bring his son, Daniel, to the restaurant when he picked up his check.
"It was obvious how much he loved his son and the rest of his family, and he will be sorely missed," said McGaha.
Employees of the Dairy Queen, off West Broadway, where Jessica McGaha worked parttime, said that she, too, was well liked.
"Jessica was fun-loving, out-going, and caring, and she loved her kids as much as anyone I ever knew," said Dairy Queen employee Christina Kropff. "They were the center of her universe."
"She was a hard worker who always spoke her mind," added co-worker Whitney Clevenger. "And she would sometimes bring Cheyenne with her to work. Cheyenne was just like her, and they were all great kids."
"The National Bank of Tennessee (NBT) has established an account in the name of the McGaha Family Memorial for those who wish to make a contribution, and donations can be hand-delivered or mailed to NBT, according to a bank spokesperson. In addition, Newport Firefighters Association spokesman Mansfield McMahan said that donations will be accepted on behalf of the McGaha family at the Newport Fire Department.
"We understand that there was little or no insurance," said McMahan. "We will accept all donations here at the main fire hall and forward those to the McGaha family."
Details about the fire are still being pieced together, but the Tennessee Fire Marshal's office told the Plain Talk on Monday that it appears that the fire was a heat-related accident which probably started at or near the wood-burning stove inside the home. Initial speculation by investigators and firefighters at the scene was that the fire was started by coals left in a wheelbarrow on the front porch of the McGaha home.
Although two of the McGaha family's neighbors told the Plain Talk on Monday that they heard what they characterized as "explosions" during the fire, State Bomb and Arson Section Assistant Director Bob Pollard said on Monday "we have no reason to believe there were any explosions during this fire.
"Many times by-standers see and hear what they believe are explosions, but they often turn out to be aspects of what we call flash-over or back-draft," said Pollard. "When fire moves from a slow stage to a fast stage in a rapid manner, it can seem like an explosion, but we found no evidence of any actual explosions in this case."
Pollard said that, when explosions do occur during a house fire, "it is not uncommon to find pieces of curtain or other household items hundreds of feet away from the fire, but that was not the case with this fire."
Steve Woods, who lives directly across the street from the McGaha house on Upper Broad Street, told the Plain Talk on Monday that he heard three "explosions" after the fire had started.
"Before the explosions I heard Danny hollering for her [Jessica McGaha] to get the kids out," said Woods. "After the explosions blew all the windows out, I didn't think anybody could be alive in there, but then I heard him [Danny McGaha] yell for help again."
When Newport Police Department Patrolman James Holt, the first emergency responder to arrive on the scene, got there about 6:50 a.m. on Saturday, he approached the house. He also reported hearing McGaha call for help, but was unable to get into the house because of the intense heat and smoke.
McGaha's sister, Lorraine Runnion, told the Plain Talk on Monday that she and her family have "nothing but praise for the police and fire departments.
"We could not have asked for more than they gave to try to help Danny and the family, and the out-pouring from the community afterward has been incredible," said Runnion. "So many people have reached out to us—it has been a great comfort to us at such a tragic time."
At press time on Tuesday funeral arrangements, which are being handled by Manes Funeral Home, were incomplete.
Gary Butler's e-mail address is gbutler@xtn.net
- [S24] The Newport Plain Talk, (http://www.newportplaintalk.com), 2 Feb 2003.
Survivors of fire victims facing financial burden
Fire victims laid to rest in Hannah Cemetery.
NEWPORT—For some, life may go on as usual, but it will never be the same for the relatives of the five members of a Newport family who lost their lives in a tragic fire a week ago.
They are not only left with the great emotional loss, but must also face continued financial burdens.
The entire Danny McGaha Jr. family died in a fire early Saturday, January 25, in Newport. The fire also destroyed the house and the family's belongings.
On a quiet hillside overlooking the J. B. Conard Sr. home, Danny McGaha and his wife, Jessica, along with their three children—five-year-old Cheyenne, two-year-old Daniel, and nine-month-old Hanna—were buried Thursday morning in Hannah Cemetery.
"The out-pouring of support and love from this community has been astronomical. The number of people who showed up in court was unreal," said Lorane (Hale) Runyan, who is a sister of Rebecca Conard McGaha, the mother of Danny McGaha Jr.
The was a hearing in circuit court on Wednesday after the biological father of Cheyenne Locklear asked to take his daughter's body to North Carolina for burial. But Judge Ben W. Hooper ruled that the family should be buried together.
Runyan said that reports that all the money the family needed to pay for its losses has been raised are false.
"It was reported that the family didn't need any more money because the funerals was paid for," she said.
It is true that the funeral bill has been paid, in part because Charles Manes and the Manes Funeral home staff assumed a large part of the funeral cost. Some property and services, such as the vaults and grave openings, were donated.
"We are looking at a minimum $30,000 financial burden to the family," said Runyan.
She explained that the McGaha family could not afford home-owners' insurance and let the policy lapse. The mortgage holder apparently did not assume insurance payments.
"We don't know the hospital costs [or] the legal fees. We have phone, transportation, and hotel bills, too," she said.
She said she heard that many people and organizations—not only in Cocke County but in Sevier, Hamblen, and other counties—were raising funds to assist the family, but may have stopped those efforts when they heard the erroneous report that all the funds needed had been raised.
"We checked. There is no insurance anywhere. There is no money," she said.
The McGaha Family Memorial fund at the National Bank of Tennessee is still open and accepting donations. The Newport Fire Department and Manes Funeral Home is also accepting donations to help the family.
"Manes is willing to set up a fund that could also be used to help other families in this situation," she said. "This could happen to anyone at any time."
- [S1] U. S. Social Security Death Index, 412-41-4306.
Issued in Tennessee
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