Herman L. Ezell, 57, and Barbara J. Ezell, 48, were pronounced dead after firefighters responded to a fire at the Coach Light Suites.

According to the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro Fire Chief Fred Hina said firefighters were called to the apartment complex at 2:52 p.m., after a fire was reported in an apartment in the southwest corner of the building.

Daviess County Coroner Bob Howe said another man was at the apartment when Barbara Ezell noticed smoke rising from the couch. The three were moving the couch out of the apartment when it burst into flames, Howe said.

"When the couch hit the air, it just exploded," Howe said. The Ezells, Howe said, "were trapped on the inside of the apartment, and there was no way for them to get out."

Howe said Barbara Ezell was found in the apartment kitchen, and Herman Ezell was found in the bedroom. Although both the Ezells suffered burns, Deputy Coroner John Thayer determined the preliminary cause of death was smoke inhalation, Howe said.

Herman Ezell, a Daviess County native, was a former certified nurse's aide at Leisure Years Nursing Home. He was a former Daviess County fireman and a paramedic for 16 years. He was a member of Daviess County Fish and Game and the National Rifle Association and enjoyed NASCAR, hunting and fishing.

Survivors include a son, Neal Ezell of Owensboro; a daughter, Lori Penrod of Owensboro; four grandchildren; his mother and stepfather, Lula and Frederick "Pat" Biggs of Owensboro; and two half sisters, Jane Andry of Birdseye, Ind., and Gail Haire of Maceo.

Barbara Ezell, a Daviess County native, also worked at Leisure Years Nursing Home.

Survivors include a son, James Scott Peercy of Pensacola, Fla.; and two sisters, Brenda Stites and Lois Louise Morris, both of Owensboro.