The Chattooga County Coroner’s Office was notified by Chattooga County E-911 of a fatal structure fire at 4 Maryland Drive on Tuesday morning.
Coroner Jeremy McElhaney responded and pronounced an adult female deceased at the scene.
At 10:17 AM Chattooga E-911 received a 911 call from a neighbor reporting the structure fire with possible entrapment.
Summerville, Trion, and Hays CI Fire Departments all rushed to the scene and arrived within minutes. They made and aggressive search for the victim and attacked the fire. They located the victim and cut a hole in the side of the structure in order to rapidly extricate her from the burning building.
Despite the heroic efforts of the fire department and rapid treatment by Atrium Floyd EMS the victim did not survive.
Chattooga County Sheriff’s Department Chaplain Joel Smith and Chattooga County EMA also responded to provide comfort and assistance to the family.
The Georgia State Fire Marshal’s Office was called to to investigate the origin of the fire, however foul play is not suspected at this time.
The Coroner’s Office will transport the victim’s body to the GBI Medical Examiner’s office for further examination.
This is the fourth fire fatality in Chattooga County in 2025.
Coroner McElhaney encourages everyone to be extremely cautious during the winter months when using portable heaters, fire places, and other heating devices as temperatures get cooler.
