A deadly fire at a home in Pickens County may be linked to careless smoking.
State fire investigators said the Pickens County Fire Department responded to a residential fire on Derby Lane in Jasper at 4 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 9.
Once the fire was extinguished, firefighters found the body of 66-year-old Katheryn Patrice Singer Avery in the basement of the residence. Two other people were in the home at the time; one escaped with minor injuries, while the other person was unharmed.
"The 2,000 square-foot, single-story home was nearly destroyed by the blaze. Most of the top floor had collapsed into the basement by the time extinguishment efforts began," said Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King. "Though it cannot be directly linked to starting the fire, careless smoking while in use of oxygen is likely to have played a role in the cause."
Avery's body was turned over to the GBI Crime Lab for autopsy, according to King.
King said Avery is the twelfth person to die in a fire in Georgia so far this year.
