JULY 18, 2018
CAMILLA, GA —
A fatal fire in Camilla Tuesday afternoon claimed the life of 82-year-old Roy Williams. According to Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner Ralph Hudgens, fire investigators are not able to determine the fire’s cause.
The fire broke out around 2:45 p.m. on the 3800 block of Drewery Road. Williams was bedridden, and an autopsy performed Wednesday morning by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation found that he died of smoke inhalation.
Hudgens said investigators from his office worked the fire scene with the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Office and the GBI. Due to the extensive damage the fire caused to the structure, Hudgens said the exact origin and cause of the blaze remain undetermined.
 |
| The home prior to the fire |
===============================
MITCHELL CO., GA (WALB) -
One person is dead after a house fire just south of Camilla on Drewery Road in Mitchell County.
According to the Mitchell County Coroner's Office, Roy Williams Sr., 85, died after the home he lived in caught fire Tuesday afternoon.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will determine if an autopsy needs to be done as it works to determine the cause of death, according to the coroner's office.
Crews received the call around 2:45 p.m.
Mitchell County and Camilla fire crews responded to the scene.
The state fire marshal investigator is working to determine the cause of the fire.
Fire Chief Jamie Sullivan said that when crews arrived they tried to get Williams out of the house but were unable to.
He was bedridden and couldn't move.
Sullivan explained this is a good time to remind people to make sure they have working smoke detectors in their home.
"Fast notification. If you are not in the room where the fire may start, you can get notified of the fire quick to get out. The elderly gentlemen was bed riden and didn't have enough advance notice to get out of the house for the fire," said Sullivan.