A weekend fire in Hart County claimed the life of a 62-year-old woman.
The State Fire Commissioner’s Office says Sharon Montgomery was killed in an accidental fire at 84 West Franklin Place in Hartwell. The fire occurred around 10 a.m. on Sunday, November 15.
“Ms. Montgomery lived in Apartment 304 of a Hartwell Housing Authority property,” said Commissioner King. “Our investigators were contacted by the City of Hartwell Fire Department and determined that this fire was accidental. We believe the fire started in the living room and dining room area of the apartment.” Her body was sent to the GBI Crime Lab for an autopsy.
Investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s Office, Hartwell Fire Department, and Hartwell Police Department are investigating the case.
Fire also killed a man at a campsite in far west central Georgia over the weekend.
State Investigators believe 71-year-old Robert Ratliff Jr. was getting out of his chair when he stumbled into a campfire in Heard County.
Montgomery and Ratliff’s deaths bring to 75 the number of people killed in fires in Georgia this year.
