1 dead in Thursday fire on South Washington Street

This story was updated at 4:20 p.m. Thursday.

A space heater was the likely cause of a fire that killed an 89-year-old Dublin man early Thursday afternoon.

Howard L. Mitchell was pronounced dead at 12:38 p.m. by Laurens County Deputy Coroner Nathan Stanley approximately 30 minutes after Laurens County 911 was informed of a fire at 431 S. Washington St. 

“It is a horrible tragedy,” Stanley said.

Dublin Fire Chief Matthew Cutler said neighbors heard a fire alarm going off in one of the apartments and could not get anyone to come to the door.

“They thought they smelled smoke,” Cutler said. “Once fire units arrived, they were able to open the door and found that the apartment was full of smoke. They put it out quickly. By the time I got there, they had located the victim and brought him out. There was nothing that could have been done.” 

Firefighters put out a small fire in the kitchen area. They searched the apartment and found Mitchell in the kitchen. The Georgia State Fire Marshals’ Office also responded to the scene. Fire officials agreed that it appeared to be an accidental fire. 

“Right now we don’t expect any foul play,” Cutler said. “It appears the fire started from a space heater that was too close to combustible materials. One of the neighbors or caregivers said he did like to warm up beside a space heater. We did find a space heater that was on at the time of the fire.”

Mitchell’s body will be transported to the Atlanta Crime Lab for an autopsy later to confirm the cause of death, Stanley said.

The apartment, which is part of the Dublin Housing Authority, sustained smoke damage.