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84-year-old killed in Polk County house fire after oxygen tank ignites

A Polk County man was killed in an overnight fire after his oxygen tank ignited in his living room, investigators said.

Credit: Georgia Safety Fire Commissioner's Office

Credit: Georgia Safety Fire Commissioner's Office

A Polk County man was killed in an overnight fire after his oxygen tank ignited in his living room, investigators said.
By
June 26, 2019

An 84-year-old Polk County man was killed in an overnight fire after his oxygen tank ignited in his living room, authorities said.

Firefighters were called to a burning home on East 3rd Street in Aragon about midnight Tuesday. Once inside, they discovered the body of Robert Eugene Brinkley.

Authorities have ruled the fire accidental and said it likely started in the living room where Brinkley is believed to have been smoking while using the oxygen tank.

The 119-year-old home suffered extensive damage. Authorities said there were no smoke detectors installed.

A total of 42 people in Georgia have been killed by fires so far this year, according to the Safety Fire Commissioner’s Office.

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