OGLETHORPE — A fatal fire that killed a 44-year-old Oglethorpe man and three children was believed to have been caused by dryer lint, according to state fire officials.
According to the fire commissioner’s office, the City of Oglethorpe Fire Department responded to a residential fire on Kaigle Street. at about 2:20 a.m. April 18. When emergency personnel made their way inside the home, they discovered the body of 44-year-old Michael Battle as well as the bodies of three juveniles.
“This tragic fire started in the kitchen of the home where the dryer was located,” said Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King. “It is believed that it originated in the lint trap of the dryer.”
Commissioner King’s Fire Investigations Unit assisted the Oglethorpe Fire Department and Oglethorpe Police Department with this investigation.
There have been 34 fire fatalities in Georgia in 2020.
Thom Chandler
Thom Chandler is the editor of The Georgia Sun and has been writing, editing and managing websites and blogs since 1995. He is a lifelong Georgian and one of those increasingly rare Atlanta natives.
