Mom and 5-year-old son killed in Ringgold, Ga., fire

A cause for the fire that took two lives Thursday morning in Ringgold, Ga., still is not known, according to Glenn Allen, spokesman for Georgia Insurance and Safety Commissioner Ralph Hudgens.

The victims, Andrea Clair Coots, 31, and her son, Riley Stone Coots, 5, were found in the same room and "appeared to investigators to have been attempting to escape the fire," Allen said.

The fire broke out at 12:38 a.m. Thursday and is believed to have started in the garage of the house at 35 Country Haven Lane in Catoosa County.

Allen said that investigators need another day to determine the cause.

"The cause of the fire does not seem to be suspicious, and the investigators are leaning toward this being an accidental fire, but the case has not been determined," Allen said.

The victims' bodies have been sent to the state crime lab, according to Allen.

He said there was a working fire alarm system in the home and the alarm company notified 911 of the fire.

Contact staff writer Kendi Anderson at kendi.anderson@gmail.com.

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