A mother and daughter were killed in an early-morning house fire in Montgomery County.
Firefighters arrived on scene at 7:22 a.m. Tuesday at a home on the 200 block of Mills Drive, not far from Fort Campbell Boulevard.
Francine Jackson, age 54, and her 18-year-old daughter, Latasha Jackson, were trapped inside when the fire started. They were taken to the hospital, but were pronounced dead, according to family members.
The cause of the fire is unknown, though Clarksville Fire Marshal Ricky Cumberland said the fire likely started in the living room. There were three or four space heaters running in the home at the time of the fire.
A third woman was able to escape the flames and is unharmed.
Family members of the two women who died said the loss is too much.
"They would do anything for anyone. They would help anyone in any way they could. Church going, god fearing people," said Lucius Jackson, Latasha's father and Francine's husband. "They'll always be with us."
Other family members were displaced by the fire and lost everything. The family's church has taken them in and hopes to help them in the coming days.
"This is a sad tragedy for us, for our community, for our city and really for our state," said pastor Willie Freeman of Greater Missionary Baptist Church.
Firefighters faced some difficulty with the extreme cold temperatures. Water from fire hoses was freezing on the driveway of the home. Clarksville street department trucks dropped salt on the road in front of the home to help melt the ice.
Cumberland said it's important for people to have two ways out of their home in case of a fire. Also, it's important to have a working smoke alarm.
A gofundme page was set up in order to help the Jackson family.
