DECATUR, Ga. --
Two fired DeKalb firefighters spoke out for the first time about a deadly fire in Dunwoody last month.
Fire Apparatus Officer Jeff Greene and former Capt. Tony Motes defended their actions at the home of Ann Bartlett. The 74-year-old called 911 to report a fire at 1:03 a.m. Firefighters responded, but left the scene after seeing no signs of smoke or flames. They never went up to the house. Bartlett died when her home burned to the ground hours later.
"It's a tragedy," said Greene. "There's been a lot of hindsight into this case."
The two firefighters said that crews had trouble finding Bartlett's house because it was not numbered. They said they scanned the immediate area, then left to search other streets for a possible fire.
"This is serious, so we have to try and find something," said Motes. "If we cant locate it we have to, through experience, start going to other locations."
Greene and Motes also said that 911 dispatchers never told firefighters that Bartlett called 911 from inside her home. They said crews would never have left the scene if they knew the call originated from the homeowner.
This information would have made all the difference in the world," said Greene. "I dont think theres a firefighter that goes to work that would leave an area if they thought there was something valid, or a person in distress.
In all, DeKalb County fired five firefighters after the deadly blaze. The fire chief later resigned.
Motes, Greene and former Capt. Sell Caldwell are appealing the firings. No hearing dates have been set yet.
It is not clear whether anyone in the 911 center will face disciplinary action. A county spokesperson told CBS Atlanta that the investigation is still open.
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