FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A man is dead after a house fire in Forsyth County.
Forsyth County Fire Department crews were called to a home along Riley Road at 5:30 a.m. Thursday. Crews found a small fire that was contained to one bedroom, the agency said. The fire was quickly extinguished, according to authorities, and that's when they found the man dead. He has since been identified as 56-year-old Richard Croy from Cumming.
Firefighters said a person who lived in another part of the house was also home at the time, but they were not hurt.
Investigators determined the fire was an accident. They added the home had no working smoke alarms, and it did not have sprinklers.
"Unfortunately, this is an all too common cautionary tale with tragic consequences," FCFD Division Chief Jason Shivers said in a news release.
Shivers stressed that working smoke alarms should be present in every bedroom and common areas of a home, adding that hallways, attics, basements and crawl spaces also be equipped with the safety tool.
"Humans cannot smell when they are asleep. Smelling is a body function that the brain turns off when one is sleeping," Shivers said. "Smoke alarms simply do exactly as their name implies; they alarm us to the presence of a fire by detecting smoke that we cannot when we are asleep or otherwise preoccupied."
People in need of a smoke alarm can request one through the Red Cross Georgia Home Fire Campaign. To learn more about the program or request an appointment, visit their website.
