DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — An elderly man's sister is dead after a fire sparked at a townhome in DeKalb County on Monday morning, according to fire officials.
DeKalb Fire said the flames sparked at the townhome at the 6600 block of Chupp Road in Stonecrest. The home is not far from Lithonia Middle School.
DeKalb Fire Captain Jaeson Daniels said firefighters were dispatched around 10:20 a.m.
11Alive SkyTracker flew over the scene, where multiple fire crews were seen extinguishing the flames. The video shows the upper level of the home completely scorched.
"When we arrived, one of the residents stated that he was able to self-rescue but was unable to get his sister out," Daniels said. "At that time, we went in for a rescue and ended up finding that... lady upstairs... deceased, unfortunately."
According to Daniels, the woman's brother was taken to Grady Hospital as a precaution.
"Oftentimes when people are inside of a fire, they often have soot around their nose and their mouth, so we sent him in to get checked out to make sure he is ok," Daniels added.
In an update Monday afternoon, 11Alive's Tresia Bowles spoke with neighbors who identified the woman as 62-year-old Gajuan Sanders.
Fire investigators are still looking in to how the flames sparked, but Daniels said the fire had started upstairs.
"We were fortunate enough to have several units close by," Daniels said. "What we do at this particular time when there are heat-related issues is dispatch other units- closer units- to help and assist. So our guys inside the structure can get multiple breaks between them having to work in the heat."
This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.
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