Four Northport Fire Deaths

Contact: John S. Robison, State Fire Marshal
(334) 241-4166

2/17/2001

Four people died this morning during a fire at a home in Northport. A mother, son, daughter-in-law and grandchild were killed.

The fire, at 1405 46th Street, was discovered shortly after 2:00 AM by a power company crew as they worked to restore power, knocked out during a storm Friday afternoon, in the area.

Glenda Joyce Dockery age 56, Timothy Jerome Dockery age 34, Katherine Channell Poole Dockery age 33 and Cheynne Dockery age seven months were killed, while a fifth resident of the house was able to escape from a basement apartment.

Investigators from the Northport Fire Department and State Fire Marshals Office traced the origin of the fire to the den and the cause of the fire to an electrical receptacle.

One battery powered smoke alarm was reportedly present in the home at the time of the fire, however, investigators were unable to locate it. In addition, a second mechanically operated alarm device was present in the home, however, it is unclear at this time whether that alarm was functional as the surviving occupant stated it did not sound an alarm during the fire.