Lone survivor left to cope with second fatal fire in two years
A woman who was critically injured in a house fire Tuesday in Mt. Airy has died. 41-year-old Ginger Bleckley passed away Friday at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. Habersham County Deputy Coroner Ken Franklin says she died of brain injuries sustained in the fire.
A deadly accident
Bleckley is the second person to die as a result of the blaze that broke out shortly after noon on April 17 at her home at 2298 Cody Road. When deputies found her, she was unconscious and partially hanging out of a window in an apparent attempt to escape.
Firefighters also found 30-year-old Roy Dale Savage, Jr., of Alto inside the house. Efforts to revive him failed. He was pronounced dead at Habersham Medical Center in Demorest. Franklin says he died of smoke inhalation.
Bleckley’s daughter, Anessa Beck, describes her mother as a “wild character ” who was “loved by many.”
“My mother was a wonderful person,” Beck tells Now Habersham. “She had the most beautiful smile. She’d give you the shirt off her back if you needed it…even if you just wanted it. Almost everyone I’ve met that’s ever encountered my mom always has a story about how life changing she was.”
The fire also injured 17-year-old Gary Paul Stratton, Jr., and a firefighter. Both suffered smoke inhalation. They were treated and released from area hospitals.
Officials say Stratton, Bleckley, and Savage were asleep inside the house when the fire broke out. A dog woke up Stratton. He was able to escape through a window and alert neighbors to call 911.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office now says “unattended candles” are to blame for the deadly blaze. The fire has been ruled accidental.
A celebration of life service is scheduled April 21st for Savage at his parents’ home in Alto. Funeral arrangements for Bleckley have not yet been announced.
Teen dealing with second fatal fire in two years
This is the second fatal fire Stratton has dealt with in two years. Authorities tell Now Habersham the teen was staying with Bleckley after losing his own mother, Tina Chitwood, in a mobile home fire in July 2016.
Chitwood and her husband, A.J., were found huddled in the bathroom of their mobile home on Waterway Court. They were unconscious when they were pulled from their burning home and were later pronounced dead at Habersham Medical Center.
An autopsy report from the State Medical Examiner’s Office says the couple died from smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Stratton, who was 16 at the time, lived with his mom and stepdad but was not at home when the fire broke out. The community rallied to help him through a Go Fund Me account that was set up by relatives after the tragedy.
