Fatal House Fire in Elberton Ruled Accidental

In Elbert County, a malfunctioning older model space heater is being listed as the cause of a fatal house fire in Elberton.

According to Bryce Rawson, Special Assistant to Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King, it happened about 8:24a Monday morning at a home on Campbell Street.

“When firefighters arrived, they found the victim deceased near the right-side wall of the structure,” he said. “The body was sent to the GBI Crime lab for identification and autopsy.”

So far, the name of the victim has not been released.

Rawson said the fire was ruled accidental.

King is asking all Georgians to exercise extra caution while using home heating equipment to keep warm.

He said, if using a space heater never plug it into an extension cord, which can lead to overheating of the cord, damage to the appliance, and an increased risk of fire or electric shock.

And he added to keep them away from flammable materials.

“Also, move anything that can burn (i.e., furniture, bedding, clothing) at least three feet from your heater, fireplace, or wood stove. 54% of home heating fire deaths were caused by having heating equipment too close to things that can burn,” he said.

According to the National Fire Prevention Association, space heaters are most often responsible for home heating equipment fires, accounting for one-third of the fires, as well as the vast majority of associated deaths (88 percent) and injuries (80 percent).

The latest Home Heating Fires report state that an average of 44,210 home heating fires occurred each year between 2016 and 2020, resulting in an estimated 480 civilian deaths.

And nearly half of the heating equipment fires (46%) occurred in the three-month period from December through February.