Marshal: Woman’s death resulted from accidental fire
Published 11:52 am Thursday, January 20, 2011
An investigation by the Alabama Fire Marshal’s office has determined no foul play was involved in the death of a 69-year-old woman on Jan. 13.
Johnnie Knueppel was found dead in a camper that was her permanent residence after a fire engulfing the structure had been extinguished.
“The exact cause of the blaze remains under investigation, but nothing was found to indicate foul play,” Fire Marshal Ed Paulk said in a release. “An autopsy performed by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences indicates that Mrs. Knueppel died as a result of the fire.”
The small travel trailer was located off County Road 454, near Airport Road in the Refuge community.
In addition to the Fire Marshal’s office, the Chilton County Sheriff’s Department and Clanton, East Chilton and Gap of the Mountain fire departments all responded to the fire.
Chilton County Sheriff Kevin Davis said, according to others living in the area, the camper had been the woman’s residence for about a year, and she was the only person living there.