No smoke detectors found after another fatal house fire in Chattooga County
- Northwest Georgia Scanner
- Dec 8, 2016
- 1 min read
Georgia Fire Marshal investigators were back in Chattooga County this morning to investigate another fatal fire. Fire Stations 9, 12, with EMS Station 12 on standby along with law enforcement responded to the fatal fire that killed 35-year-old Charlie Gifford at his residence at 361 Fourth Street in Summerville. He was living in an upstairs room where the fire is believed to have originated, according to
Summerville Fire Chief Robbie Lathem. Two other guys living downstairs woke up to smoke filling the house around 2:11 a.m.. They tried going upstairs to rescue Gifford but they were prevented by heavy smoke and flames. The two men downstairs escaped unharmed by the fire. Fire Chief Lathem said there were no working smoke detectors in the residence. The Summerville FD recently won a $4,000 grant. All money will go to smoke alarms. Please be sure to check your smoke alarms and If you don't have smoke alarms please contact your local Fire department they will install one free of charge.
This makes the ninth fatal fire in Chattooga County this year.The other fatal fires this year include:
* A 30-year-old man died in a mobile home fire on South Little Sand Mountain Road on Feb. 2.
* Six people (four small children and two adults) died in a mobile home fire north of Trion on Oct. 23.
* A 70-year-old man died in a fire at his Summerville home on Nov. 19.
