A 52-year-old man died in Summerville, Ga., last weekend after a house in which he was seeking shelter caught fire.
Timothy Allen Brown was alone in 748 Highland Ave. on Saturday night when one of the candles he used to warm and heat the home tipped over, causing a fire, said Glenn Allen, spokesman for the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner's Office. The home has been vacant for about six years, but Brown tried to stay there from time to time.
A house at 748 Highland Ave. in Summerville, Ga., caught fire Saturday night, destroying the inside and killing a man. Investigators believe the fire ignited when a candle tipped over.The fire began in the living room around 8:15 p.m. Brown was found inside by the door by firefighters who responded to the scene.
The house has been abandoned for years. No utilities are hooked up, and people have stolen the wiring inside, Allen said. The specific address he provided is not even listed on the Chattooga County property appraiser website.
Saturday's house fire is at least the third one to claim lives in Chattooga County in four months. On Oct. 23, six people died after a fire took down a mobile home in Trion. In that case, investigators concluded the father installed a wooden stove too close to a wall, igniting the flames. Of the six who died, four were children.
On Dec. 8, a man died after his upstairs room on Fourth Street caught fire. The Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner's Office was not able to determine what caused the fire, but autopsy results show the man died from smoke inhalation. He had no other injuries.
Meanwhile, investigators also ruled a Feb. 8 fire in Walker County as an arson. That fire occurred on Flora Street in LaFayette, causing about $40,000 worth of damage.
Anyone with information on that case is asked to call the Arson Hotline at 1-800-282-5804.
Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.