Until Tuesday morning, Mark Simkins Jr. was not a household name. Unfortunately, that will change for the saddest and most tragic of reasons, as the Montana Western football player was reportedly killed in a house fire.
Will Wadley of NBC Montana brings details of Simkins, who hails from Dillon (Mont.), and the perilous event.
Dillon Fire Chief Darrin Morast told NBC Montana Simkins was alone in a house Tuesday on the 500-block of East Glendale, asleep in a back room, when his roommates came home and discovered a fire in a front room.
The roommates called 911 at approximately 12:30 a.m., pulled Simkins from the house and began administering CPR, Morast said.
Simkins was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 3 a.m., according to Beaverhead County Coroner Ron Briggs.
According to the report, the fire is thought to be accidental but that will bring little in the way of comfort to his family and friends. For many, this type of story is simply troubling and highly unfortunate but, for those close to Simkins, it is an impactful event that will have lingering ramifications for quite some time. More details will almost certainly emerge but, for now, we know that tragedy struck and a young man is gone too quickly.
