PALMETTO, Ga. --
Three people died after a fire ripped through a Palmetto, Georgia home.
The fire started before 6 a.m. in a log house in the 500 block of Locke Street.
Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John W. Oxendine said that malfunctioning medical equipment started a fire that killed three people in a home in Palmetto, Ga. this morning.
An 89-year-old woman and two men in their 50s died in the blaze. The wife of one of the men was injured.
Fire officials said one of the people who lived in the house was bed-ridden and never had a chance to get out.
People who live nearby, even fire department veterans, are saddened to hear one of their neighbors died in such a horrible way.
“The loss of life like this is going to affect the whole community,” said Palmetto Fire Department Chief Henry Argo.
Argo could not remember the last time so many people who lived in one home died in a fire in Palmetto. What makes matters worse for Argo is he knew them.
“It’s such a tragedy when you have members of the family. It’s hard on everybody,” said Argo.
Firefighters initially tried to get inside the house, but they had to back out because the flames and smoke were so intense. When firefighters finally made their way in, they found the lifeless bodies of three people inside. '
Neighbors told CBS Atlanta the family’s last name is Millar.
“They’re our neighbors, they’re our friends. It’s a small community,” Argo said.
“It’s sad,” said neighbor Frances Mobeley. “It’s a tragedy. But at least someone survived.”
Firefighters from Chattahoochee Hills and Coweta and Fulton counties were called to assist the Palmetto Fire Department.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
CBS Atlanta News is following this developing story and CBSAtlanta.com will have more information as it becomes available.
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