Updated: 9:34 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14
Betty Anderson says retired Roanoke City Fire Captain Kenneth Watson had a passion for fighting fires.
"He loved his job. He loved firefighting," Anderson said.
Saturday night, Roanoke County firefighters got a call about a fire at a home in Vinton.
This time it was Watson who needed help.
Anderson was Watson's girlfriend of 23 years, and she says he died in that fire.
"It's ironic that a trained firefighter would die from a fire in his own home," she said.
Anderson says Watson understood the importance of fire detectors, and neighbors even say they heard them going off in his home Saturday night.
"We'd go stay somewhere, and he would check the smoke detectors to make sure they were working before he went to bed."
As investigators work to piece together exactly what happened, loved ones and firefighters across the area are mourning the loss of one of their own.
"Several of them have called me this morning, crying – literally crying and saying they just hate it so bad he had to die in a fire."
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Updated: 6:55 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14
Roanoke Fire EMS spokeswoman Tiffany Bradbury released the following statement this evening in response to the death of Kenneth Watson:
"Roanoke Fire-EMS is deeply saddened upon hearing the news of the loss of our brother, Captain Kenny Watson. Captain Watson served faithfully for close to 30 years and retired from Station #3 previously located at 6th Street and Rorer Ave. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time."
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Updated: 2:25 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14
Vinton police have not identified the body, but neighbors and friends tell us 60-year-old Kenneth Watson died in the fire.
Watson was a retired Captain for the Roanoke City Fire Department and worked for Roanoke City for 28 years.
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Updated: 8:35 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 14
The Vinton Police Department says a house fire in the 1000 block of Claiborne Avenue killed one person. It happened at about 9:30 p.m. Neighbors tell us it was 60-year-old Kenneth Watson; however, the body's identification is still being confirmed.
Neighbors told WSLS 10 crews they heard smoke detectors going off and when they looked outside, they saw the house on fire.
The fire units had the fire under control in about 30 minutes.
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The Vinton Fire Department confirms they are working a house fire on Claiborne Avenue.
That's off Virginia Avenue near Lakedrive Plaza.
Power lines are down in the area.
10 On Your Side has a crew on scene.
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