A man died and an 11-year-old boy is in critical condition following a late-night house fire Tuesday in Gainesville. Firefighters found 66-year-old Joe Boggs inside the burning house on Pleasant View Circle. He died on his way to the hospital, officials say. The boy, who is related to Boggs, is in critical condition at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital of Augusta.
Hall County EMS transported two other family members, a 36-year-old woman and a 3-year-old boy, to Northeast Georgia Medical Center where they were treated for smoke inhalation. Both are recovering and have been released from the hospital, says Hall County Fire Rescue spokesperson Kimberlie Ledsinger.
Boggs’ body has been sent to the GBI Crime Lab for an autopsy to determine his cause of death.
The single-story house was destroyed in the blaze that broke out shortly before 11 p.m. on August 30. When firefighters arrived, the right side of the house was fully engulfed, says Ledsinger. When firefighters entered the home, flames had spread to most of the left side.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by Hall County Fire Marshal’s Office and Hall County Sheriff’s Office.
