On a gravel trail in northeastern Cherokee County, a pile of charred rubble was all that was left of a split-level home Wednesday morning.
Three people, believed to be two adults and their 19-year-old daughter, were killed when the house burned to the ground in the early morning hours, not far from the Pickens and Forsyth county lines off Yellow Creek Road, authorities said.
Neighbors reported hearing explosions around 3:45 a.m. at the home, on 818 Spriggs Trail in Ball Ground, Tim Cavender with the Cherokee County fire department said. Firefighters and deputies arrived within minutes, but the house was fully engulfed and had collapsed by the time they arrived, Cavender said.
"It had been burning for a while," Lt. Jay Baker, with the county's sheriff's office, told the AJC.
If there was an explosion, there was little evidence beyond the area where a home once stood. An American flag remained just above a small wooden arbor, standing among trees in the heavily wooded area.
Investigators had not yet determined the names of those killed in the blaze. But the home belonged to 49-year-old Ricky Norrell, his wife, Darlene, 46, and daughter, Lindsey, 19, Baker said. Lindsey Norrell was a 2011 graduate of Creekview High School, according to her Facebook profile.
"At this time, investigators are unable to definitively conclude that the bodies are that of the Norrells," Baker said in an emailed statement. "However, no one has had any contact with them today and it appears likely that in fact it is them."
Early Wednesday afternoon, a relative of the family doubled over in tears after seeing what remained of the home. Other neighbors on the rural road told the AJC they were related to Norrells, but family members declined to speak about the deaths when contacted by the AJC.
There was no evidence early Wednesday afternoon to suggest foul play, Baker said. But by late Wednesday, investigators were still trying to determine the cause of the blaze.
The smell of smoke was still in the air along the road leading to the charred home.
Two vehicles that had been parked in the garage were also destroyed.
Medical examiners were attempting to remove the victims' bodies from the debris early Wednesday afternoon.
About the Author
