Woman dies in house fire
Published 6:15 am Wednesday, December 16, 2015
VALDOSTA — Firefighters found a woman dead in a house fire Tuesday morning.
It was the second fire-related death in as many days within the city limits, according to authorities.
At 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, Valdosta Fire Department responded to a residential fire call at 1504 Page Drive, said VFD Capt. James Clinkscales, the department’s fire marshal.
Firefighters found a deceased woman at the single-story residence, located off Bemiss Road, he said.
Tyricia Tooley, 47, was found dead inside of the Page Drive residence, according to the Valdosta Department.
The fatality comes one day after an unrelated fire-related death at 130 Perry Lane. A woman was found dead inside of a house there at 7:37 a.m. Monday, according to the VFD.
Diane Calhoun, 61, was found dead in the Perry Lane residence, according to the VPD.
Clinkscales and Valdosta Police Chief Brian Childress stressed the house fires are not connected in any way and no foul play is expected in either incident.
Both bodies have been sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for autopsies to determine causes of death, Childress said.
Fire officials are still investigating the cause of each fire, Clinkscales said.
Two unrelated deaths from two fires on two consecutive days is extraordinary, officials said.
“In 20 years in the fire department, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Clinkscales said.