A 2-year-old and a 3-year-old were killed and their mother was badly burned Friday afternoon in a house fire in Butts County, officials said.
The woman was flown to Grady Memorial Hospital with burns on 30 to 40 percent of her upper body, state insurance commissioner spokesman Glenn Allen told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“An electrical malfunction in a hallway outlet started the fire,” Allen said. Investigators have not said if anything was plugged into the outlet.
The fire was at a home at the intersection of Valley Road and Oak Street in Jackson, Butts County Sheriff Gary Long said.
Allen said the mother woke up to smoke and flames surrounding her. She managed to escape from the home, Channel 2 Action News reported, but ran back inside to save her kids — except it was too late.
The children were found dead in the living room.
“Their bodies will be taken to the coroner for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death,” Allen said.
There were no signs of a working fire alarm in the home, he said.
The woman’s other three children were at school during the fire, Long said. They are now with relatives, Channel 2 reported.
Neighbors tried to get into the house to rescue the family but the flames were too intense, Long said.
The state fire marshal has been asked to investigate.
It was the 99th and 100th residential fire fatalities in Georgia this year, Allen said. Earlier Friday, officials investigated a Coweta County house fire that killed a 91-year-old grandmother.
Both fires have been ruled accidental.
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