MEDIA RELEASE
Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner Ralph Hudgens said an investigation by his office into a fire that killed a Polk County woman on Sunday, Jan. 7 has been ruled accidental.
Shirley Richards, 69, died in the fire at 122 Herbert Street, Cedartown, Ga. Fire Investigators determined that flammable materials placed too close to a natural gas heater in the kitchen started the blaze, said Commissioner Hudgens.
No evidence of a smoke alarm was found in the home, but fire investigator did discover several vintage heat alarms on the second floor. The fire was reported around 9:49 p.m.