A 65-year-old Paulding County man died in a house fire Wednesday night, officials said.

Alonzo Patterson was killed in the blaze near the 200 block of Old Brock Road, said Glenn Allen, a spokesman with the state insurance commissioner's office.

A Paulding County man died in a fire that also destroyed the house. (Credit: Channel 2 Action News)
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Paulding County Fire and Rescue crews arrived just after 7 p.m. to fight the fire, but the home was fully involved with flames and firefighters couldn’t get inside, Lt. Steve Mapes said in a news release.

After the fire was controlled hours later, Patterson’s body was recovered.

Neighbor Stephen McDaniel told Channel 2 Action News that Patterson was a veteran.

McDaniel had just given Patterson a ride to church Sunday, he said.

“(He was a) good guy,” McDaniel told Channel 2. “He’s going to be missed.”

The cause of the fire is undetermined.

“Due to the destruction of the home by the fire, and the large amount of debris from the victims’ personal effects, the exact cause of the deadly blaze will remain undetermined,” Deputy Insurance and Fire Commissioner Jay Florence said in an email. “A state fire investigator with our office found nothing suspicious about this fire.”

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