A family dog perished and five people lost their home after a cooking fire tore through a Valdosta residence Friday morning, leaving one person with minor injuries.
The Details: Valdosta firefighters rushed to a home on Madison Highway around 11:30 a.m. on March 7, arriving within two minutes to find heavy flames and smoke pouring from the single-family house.
One resident suffered minor injuries and received treatment from SGMC Health EMS at the scene. The family’s dog did not survive the fire.
In Context: Unattended cooking remains the leading cause of home fires in the United States. According to the National Fire Protection Association, cooking equipment was involved in nearly half (49%) of all reported home fires between 2015-2019.
How You Can Help: The American Red Cross is currently assisting the five displaced residents. The Valdosta Fire Department urges all residents to never leave cooking food unattended, keep flammable materials away from stovetops, and ensure working smoke alarms are installed near kitchens.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
