99-year-old former teacher, author dies in Collier Heights house fire
Collier Heights fire kills educator, 99
A 99-year-old educator and civil rights trailblazer died early Tuesday morning when a heavy fire broke out on the lower level of her Collier Heights home along Larchmont Court NW.
ATLANTA - A 99-year-old retired educator and community historian died early Tuesday morning when heavy flames swept through her northwest Atlanta home.
Firefighters find woman inside home
What we know:
A 99-year-old woman died after a house fire Tuesday morning in northwest Atlanta that caused the home’s second floor to collapse, firefighters said.
Atlanta firefighters responded to Larchmont Court in the Collier Heights neighborhood at about 5:30 a.m. They found heavy flames, a collapsed second floor and a downed power line. Crews searched the home several times and found the woman on the first floor near the carport.
A brief firefighter emergency was declared during the response but later ended after the firefighter involved was found safe. Fire crews have since cleared the scene.
Cause under investigation
Dig deeper:
Atlanta Fire Rescue Chief Andrew Anderson said the structure of the house and a potential gas feed created difficult firefighting conditions. Anderson noted investigators suspect the blaze started on the lower level.
Firefighters believe the fire started on the first floor. It is not considered suspicious, and the cause remains under investigation.
A caretaker who lived in a separate building next to the home may have called 911, but that has not been confirmed.
Neighbors remember longtime resident
What they're saying:
Neighbors said the woman had lived in the area for decades and was known for bringing people together over meals.
"You would feel like you were in a five-star hotel when you came to her house to eat. She would pull out the best for you, and it was just a wonderful fellowship," one neighbor said.
The victim has been identified as Phyllis Lawhorn.
Who was Phyllis Lawhorn?
The backstory:
Phyllis Foreman Lawhorn, 99, was a longtime Collier Heights resident, educator and author whose career touched generations of students.
Lawhorn broke barriers during the civil rights era as one of the Black educators chosen to integrate the all-white North Fulton High School in Buckhead, according to Atlanta City Council Member Michael Bond.
She graduated magna cum laude from Allen University with a bachelor’s degree in English and literature and taught in schools in South Carolina and Atlanta, including North Fulton High School, where she was among the Black teachers selected in 1968 to help integrate Atlanta’s public school faculties.
She also taught English and literature at Clark Atlanta University for 27 years and received its Distinguished Teaching Award in 1986.
Lawhorn developed an essay-writing method that informed her textbook, Ideas in African Thought: Reading and Writing About Self and the World.
She built her home in Collier Heights in 1963 and recently completed a book about the neighborhood’s history, Collier Heights, Bending with the Wind. Her family moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio after the Ku Klux Klan burned a cross in their yard because her father had helped Black construction workers find employment.
At a book signing last year, Bond presented Lawhorn with an official proclamation honoring her lifelong community dedication.
Collier Heights community responds
What they're saying:
Neighbors gathered in disbelief Tuesday as drone video showed the charred destruction of the longtime residence. "When I came and saw that it was her house, I was just devastated. This lady was incredible," neighbor Jennifer Walton said.
Walton reflected on Lawhorn's lasting impression on the Westside neighborhood, describing her as an intellectual pillar. "Miss Phillips was very smart, intelligent. She worked with students. She was somebody that always inspired people. She wanted the best for everyone as individuals," Walton said. "For her being here, the number of years that she was, we will continue to uphold the rich history of this community."
What we don't know:
Investigators have not yet determined the exact cause of the fire, though officials stated they do not believe it is suspicious. Officials also have not confirmed whether the gas supply directly caused the flames or merely fueled them after ignition.