ATLANTA — A woman was rescued but is in critical condition after a house fire in Southwest Atlanta on Friday afternoon.
It happened in the 1200 block of Hartford Avenue in Atlanta's Capitol View neighborhood. Authorities confirmed that firefighters arrived within four minutes of a call regarding a fire at the home at roughly 4:30 p.m.
Atlanta Fire Sgt. Cortez Stafford said that they were still trying to find out who called it in, but they were already aware that there may be a person trapped inside.
"They immediately started entering the home because the call came in as a report with somebody possibly still inside," Stafford said. "That alerts us to be even more quick on the job to make sure that we get in there, do an aggressive interior search to find out if there are any victims inside."
They found the victim in a rear bedroom unconscious and trapped under debris. Stafford said she was unconscious but still breathing.
"She is suffering major burns - second and third-degree burns over a large percentage of her body," he said. "She was taken to Grady immediately thereafter."
Stafford said that fire crews had to remove debris that was still on top of her when they arrived inside the home.
He added that while she was breathing, the severity of her burns meant she was "by no means out of danger."
"We all know major burns over your body can be a very life-threatening situation so they're watching it very closely," he said.
Fire officials believe she was the only person in the home at the time of the fire. Fire officials said they weren't able to give her name because she wasn't able to provide it upon being rescued from the home.
However, family members provided a picture of the woman
Investigators are still trying to figure out how the fire started, but family members think it was due to a space heater.
While Stafford couldn't confirm that information, he did say that heaters and other items that generate heat are a safety concern during the colder months.
"During the holiday season, it's more critical, you have more family members home, people burn candles," he said. "I can tell you that our fire investigators are looking at every avenue here."
That said, he pointed out that when the fire happened, the weather wasn't particularly wintery.
"It's not super cold tonight but it's a little chilly; so, whatever the case may be, we don't know," he said. "We're trying to discover that as we speak."
A nephew of the victim said there was fire on both sides of the room at one point. He said she is in her 60s.
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