ELDERLY KATHLEEN, GEORGIA WOMAN DIES IN HOUSE FIRE THAT
STARTED IN THE KITCHEN DUE TO UNATTENDED COOKING
January 23, 2015
WARNER ROBINS, GEORGIA --
A house fire in Kathleen early Friday claimed the life of an 86-year-old woman.
Opal Alford likely died
of smoke inhalation, said Houston County Deputy Coroner Lee Dixon. Houston
County Medical Examiner Dr. James Whitaker is expected to inspect the body
Monday to determine the official cause and manner of death.
Alford was unresponsive
when a neighbor found her after seeing the flames and breaking into the home to
reach her, Dixon said.
The fire investigation
showed that the blaze started in the kitchen, Dixon said. The 911 call of the
fire came in at 7:23 a.m.
“Investigators with my
office have determined that the cause of the fire was the result of unattended
cooking,” state Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner Ralph Hudgens said in a
news release.
Alford lived alone, and
neighbors and friends routinely checked on her, Dixon said.
The fire destroyed the
home, the release stated.
Houston County fire asked
for the state’s assistance in the investigation. The sheriff’s office also
joined in, which is standard operating procedure in a fire fatality.
Houston fire Chief Jimmy
Williams said more than a dozen firefighters from three stations responded to
the blaze. The neighbor had already removed Alford from the fire when
firefighters arrived, Williams said. The entire roof from one end to the other
was on fire, he said.
Alford was pronounced
dead on the scene, Dixon said.
So far this year, fire
has claimed the lives of 10 people in Georgia, according to the release. This
is the first fatal fire in Houston County this year, Williams said.