Authorities have released the name of the man found dead inside his burning house on Yonah Street in Cornelia Tuesday morning. Habersham County Deputy Coroner Ken Franklin identifies the victim as 64-year old Martin Glennis McGregor. State investigators are still trying to determine what caused the deadly blaze.
It broke out shortly before 6 o’clock Tuesday morning at 434 Yonah Street. Assistant Cornelia Fire Chief Chad Dyer says units were dispatched to the scene at 5:52 a.m. He says when the first units arrived two minutes later the house was already 40-50% involved and flames were venting through the carport roof.
“We had a difficult time due to the furnishings inside the residence gaining access to the front door to enter the house,” he says. The age and construction of the home also made battling the blaze difficult. “The layout of the house and all of the furnishings hampered us getting into it and fighting the fire as effectively as we could have,” says Dyer.
It took nearly two hours before firefighters were able to gain access to the bedroom where McGregor was found. Franklin says there’s been no official ruling as to the exact cause of death but says it was fire related.
Weather also posed a problem Tuesday as firefighters battled the blaze in sub-freezing temperatures. Water from fire hoses froze on the ground. Dyer says employees with the Cornelia Road and Water Departments were on hand to help deal with weather related issues.
Authorities were first alerted to the fire by neighbors who called 9-1-1. Firefighters from Cornelia, Baldwin and Lee Arrendale State Prison responded. The single story brick residence was heavily damaged in the fire. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating.
