Couple found dead inside charred DeKalb County home

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - DeKalb County firefighters have found two bodies after a devastating house fire overnight.

The fire broke out before 1:30 a.m. on the 2900 block of Cohassett Lane in the Panthersville community.

Firefighters say they responded to the scene to find the single-family home covered with heavy flames and serious smoke. Residents could only watch, helpless, as the home was engulfed by the blaze. 

"I ain't never been close to no fire like that. I'm still devastated by it," said neighbor Cynthia Mitchell. 

It got hot enough to threaten other nearby homes.

Neighbor Tafari Stevenson-Howard shared video with FOX 5 of the blaze, adding, "I was afraid." 

"It was literally like the fire was shooting down and then billowing back up over the garage,"Stevenson-Howard said. 

Officials say it was too dangerous for firefighters to enter the home because of the intensity of the flames.

"Due to the heavy destruction of the structure, due to the extreme fire that was here early this morning, it's hard to tell what's what in the structure. But we do know there were two people inside. But because of the collapse we were unable to gather that information on our initial investigation," said DeKalb County Fire Capt. Jaeson Daniels. 

While officials have not identified the individuals, devastated family members, who gathered near the scene, said 35-year-old Derris Deshaun Woods was one of the victims. Loved ones say his girlfriend also died in the fire.

"He's a good kid. He's a father. He has daughters. He lost his brother in 2023, so he was still grieving from that and him and his girlfriend haven't even been living here that long," said his aunt, Joan McDill. 

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

"It didn't look like foul play or anything, it looked like it may have started from the kitchen but they are still investigating," said McDill.

Fire crews were able to rescue an animal from the burning building.