Possible arson may have caused fatal fire Monday morning in NW Atlanta
Woman killed in house fire
Atlanta Fire officials are investigating the death of a northwest Atlanta woman during a house fire. The blaze broke out on Madrona Street in the early morning hours.
ATLANTA - A woman was found dead, and a 91-year-old man was hospitalized after a house fire early Monday in a northwest Atlanta neighborhood.
Firefighters responded to a call shortly after 1 a.m. on Monday in the 1700 block of Madrona Street.
Deadly house fire
What we know:
Firefighters arrived to find heavy flames shooting from the front of the home, according to the Atlanta Fire Department. Crews quickly learned that one resident was still trapped inside. Despite efforts to rescue her, firefighters found the woman's body in the home's bathroom.
The other resident, identified as 91-year-old Aaron Waller, was able to escape the blaze. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not yet released the identity of the woman who died.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Was it arson?
What they're saying:
Officials say several neighbors reported seeing suspicious activity before the fire started.
Waller, who returned to the scene after being released from the hospital, told FOX 5's Aungelique Proctor that his longtime renter woke him up and warned him about the fire.
"She said, ‘Papa, the house is on fire’ and I didn't have — I was barefoot and everything out here," Waller said. "Neighbors brought me some shoes and stuff, but when I got out here that fire was raising up that high. If she hadn't done that it would have caught me in the room. I couldn't have gotten out."
Waller said he tried to save his renter, a white female who had lived at the home for about 10 years, but she did not follow him outside.
Woman found dead in burning Atlanta home
Atlanta firefighters found the body of a woman in her 90s in the burning home on Madrona Street.
"I went around to the back and knocked the window out to try to save her. I thought she went that way to the bathroom — that's where they found her — but I thought she was coming with me," he said.
Several neighbors reportedly told firefighters they witnessed a man throw something into the home shortly before the fire ignited.
"Somebody says they saw somebody throw something in this window. They say it was somebody with a grey suit on or something," Waller said.
What's next:
An Atlanta Fire arson chief confirmed to FOX 5 that the fire is being treated as a joint death investigation with Atlanta Police. Investigators are reviewing claims about the possible throwing of an object into the home.
What you can do:
If you have any information that could help with the investigation, call the Atlanta Fire Department.
The Source: Brooke Zauner reported on this story from the scene on Madrona Street. The original story has been updated to reflect a change in the deceased woman's approximate age. This story has been updated since it was originally published to add details gathered by FOX 5's Aungelique Proctor, who spoke with the homeowner.