Home Explosion in Blairsville Under Investigation by State Fire Investigators

Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King has released the names of the Union County couple killed when their Blairsville house exploded.

It happened Sunday at 307 Pauline Lane in Blairsville.

King said the 1,594-square-foot structure was approximately 26 years old and was entirely destroyed by the blast.

The victims are identified as 78-year old Ralph Norris Wood Jr. And 77-year old Peggy Wood.

In a press release issued Monday King said the couple was home at the time of the fire and died as a result.

He said the blast also left several homes in the area damaged.

This explosion remains under active investigation at this time but King said it could be weeks before his investigators are able to determine what caused the explosion.

Commissioner King’s Fire Investigations Division assisted the Union County Fire Department, the Union County Sheriff’s Office, and the Union County Coroner.

The victims’ bodies were transported to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab in Atlanta for autopsy.

According to King, this marks the 57th and 58th death from a Georgia fire in 2021.