Elderly Man And Woman Killed When Trailer Erupts In Flames

BARTOW, FL -- The Polk County Sheriff's Office is investigating the deaths of an elderly man and woman, who were killed early Friday when flames erupted in their rented mobile home.

A third person who was inside the trailer managed to escape, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, whose office later identified the victims as 72-year-old Joan M. Koch and 81-year-old Bernard Samuel Johns.

The man who made it out was identified as 50-year-old Robert Rogers, who also rented a room in the trailer and told first responders he was asleep when the fire broke out. None of the three were related.

"When he woke up, he saw that his room was consumed with smoke and he ran out of the mobile home," said Judd of the survivor. "He said that the south end of the mobile home was totally involved in flames. The south end of the mobile home is where our 81-year-old lives. The female lives at the north end of the home."

Judd said his agency has opened a death investigation into the incident, which began around 3:45 a.m. The mobile home is located behind a home at 4630 Fighter Road not far from Bomber Road and U..S Highway 17.

"Autopsies will be conducted to determine both victims' exact causes of death," added Carrie Horstman of the sheriff's office. "The state fire marshal will investigate the cause of the fire."