Former Ville Platte Police officer, 106, dies in house fire

State Fire Marshal investigators continue to piece together clues as to what started a fire that claimed the life of one of Louisiana’s longest-living citizens Saturday morning.
Ville Platte firefighters responded to a residential structure fire at 1089 Robert F. Kennedy Drive in Ville Platte at about 9:30 a.m. Saturday, after neighbors reported smoke emanating from the home, a State Fire Marshal’s news release stated.
During fire suppression efforts, firefighters located the lifeless body of 106-year-old Edward “Knotoe” Thomas, Jr., who shared the home with his daughter and son-in-law, Laura and Larry Jackson. Thomas was alone in the wood-framed residence at the time of the fire.
While an official cause of the deadly fire has not been determined, investigators have established that the fire originated in the attic of the home.
Prior to moving to the Kennedy Drive location approximately 18 months ago, Thomas lived by himself on a street named in his honor by city officials in 2012. Thomas was honored after having faithfully served as a Ville Platte police officer for 25 years. He also spent many years as an automobile radiator repairman with Pitre Ford Motor Company.
Not one to stay idle, Thomas enjoyed working in his garden until the age of 103 and drove his Ford truck until he was 100-years-old.
In 2009, during the Evangeline Parish centennial festivities, Thomas, at age 101, was recognized by the Evangeline Parish Police Jury as being older than the parish.
Thomas, who fathered 10 children, is survived by five living children, 37 grandchildren, 74 great-grandchildren, and 56 great-great-grandchildren.