One man was found dead inside this burning house on Yonah Street in Cornelia Tuesday morning. (PHOTO/A.N. Williams)
State investigators are still trying to determine what caused an early morning house fire in Cornelia that left one man dead.
The fire broke out Tuesday at 434 Yonah Street. Assistant Cornelia Fire Chief Chad Dyer says units were dispatched to the scene at 5:52 a.m. The first units arrived two minutes later. When they arrived, Dyer says the house was already 40-50% involved and flames were venting through the carport roof.
“We had a difficult time due to the furnishings inside the residence gaining access to the front door to enter the house,” he says. The age and construction of the home also made battling the blaze difficult. “The layout of the house and all of the furnishings hampered us getting into it and fighting the fire as effectively as we could have,” says Dyer.
It took nearly two hours before firefighters were able to gain access to the bedroom where the victim was found. The State Fire Marshal’s Office describes him as a 64-year old white male. Habersham County Coroner Ken Franklin says an autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death. The victim’s name has not been released.
Weather also posed a problem Tuesday as firefighters battled the blaze in sub-freezing temperatures. Water from fire hoses froze on the ground. Dyer says employees with the Cornelia Road and Water Departments were on hand to help deal with weather related issues.
Authorities were first alerted to the fire by neighbors who reported hearing an explosion around 5:50 a.m. and called 9-1-1. Firefighters from Cornelia, Baldwin and Lee Arrendale State Prison responded.
Photos of the scene show a chimney jutting out of the gutted portion of the house, however, Dyer says it’s unclear whether there is any connection. “There were two different chimneys inside the structure,” he explains. “One of those chimneys serviced the basement area of the house and the other chimney had a wood heater that they used there at that chimney.”
The single story brick residence was heavily damaged. The fire remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
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Original article: Fatal House Fire Under Investigation.