Local firefighters discovered the lifeless body of an unidentified person in the burned-out remains of a Chattahoochee home this past Friday.
Around 9:10 a.m., Friday, January 11, firefighters with the Chattahoochee and Florida State Hospital fire departments, as well as Chattahoochee Police, responded to a a report of a structure fire at the 1200 block of South Main Street in Chattahoochee, a Chattahoochee Police spokesperson reported.
Firefighters and law enforcement arrived to find an older single-story wood home consumed in a violent blaze. The fire was brought under control in relatively short order, before flames spread to a neighboring dwelling, just feet away from the engulfed house. After battling the blaze for more than an hour, firefighters fully extinguished the inferno, leaving only smoldering ruins.
Once it was deemed safe to do so, fire and law enforcement personnel inspected the burned-out residence and uncovered the remains of a deceased individual. Neither the identity of the deceased nor the cause of the fire is known at this time, Chattahoochee Police spokesperson Caroline Hastings said. Pending the results of an investigation, authorities declined to say whether the individual was killed in the fire or was already dead when the flames ignited.
First responders reported the incident to the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office, who sent investigators to the scene Friday. The State Fire Marshal’s Office continues to assist local authorities with the investigation, which is ongoing.