MACON, Ga. — After their investigation, the Macon-Bibb Fire Department wasn’t able to determine the exact cause of a deadly over-the-weekend fire in Lizella.
The fire happened in the 2000 block of South Lizella Road on Saturday, killing 68-year-old Gary Pritchett along with three dogs, according to Macon-Bibb Fire Department Capt. Kyle Murray.
They say the fire started at around midnight Saturday evening.
After their investigation, Murray says they isolated the fire’s origin to a corner of the home’s living room, but there were too many potential sources of ignition for them to be able to conclusively say what caused the fatal fire.
There was electrical wiring, candles, a recliner, among other potential causes, such as a cigarette, Murray said.
However, Murray says that “undetermined” causes are not uncommon. He says the main objective of investigators with the Macon-Bibb Fire Department is to determine whether or not a fire was related to any criminal acts and then refer those for potential legal action.
Since they determined the fire was seemingly accidental and no foul play was suspected, they don’t have the resources to parse which of the potential ignition sources caused the blaze, Murray said.
If the homeowner had insurance, their insurance company might hire a private fire investigator who could conduct further analysis of the scene, which could include additional testing or creating an Arc map to determine if there were any faulty circuits, Murray said.
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