Four DeKalb fire officers placed on leave; Dunwoody fire response under review

Print
E-mail

By Marcus K. Garner

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Four DeKalb County Fire Rescue department officers have been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation of fatal Dunwoody fire early Sunday morning.

Enlarge photo

The mood was somber as these individuals, who identified themselves as family members, wait and watch at the scen of a deadly fire on Houghton Court in DeKalb County.

Bob Andres, bandres@ajc.com The mood was somber as these individuals, who identified themselves as family members, wait and watch at the scen of a deadly fire on Houghton Court in DeKalb County.

More DeKalb County news »

County public safety director William Miller put acting officer in charge William Greene, Capt. Tony L. Motes, Capt. Sell Caldwell, and Battalion Chief Lesley Clark on leave with pay as the department conducts an internal investigation, according to a statement released late Monday night.

A call reporting a fire in the 1600 block of Houghton Court was disconnected as the dispatcher was getting information from the caller.

The dispatcher tried several times to reconnect, and firefighters were sent to the area. When they arrived, however, they found no signs of a fire.

About five hours later, a call came in reporting a fire in the same area. Firefighters arrived to find a house engulfed in flames.

The home burned to the ground, and emergency officials found the body of an elderly woman in the remains of the house, county officials said. The victim was identified as Ann Bartlett, 74.

The internal investigation of the emergency response is part of the county's standard practices, officials said.