Just months after losing his wife, a southeast Atlanta man lost his home and most of his possessions to a fire Friday morning. But all wasn't lost.
Once the blaze was extinguished, Carlton Johnson found the urn containing his wife's remains.
Johnson, 70, told the AJC he left his Macon Place home around 5:30 a.m. and didn't think twice about leaving a small space heater on top of a bedroom dresser.
"I used them all the time -- a little space heater to heat one bedroom up," Johnson said. "You heat it up, you ain’t got to use your gas or nothing like that."
Johnson's neighbors called him a few hours later to tell him the house he'd lived in for more than 30 years was on fire.
"When I got here, flames was everywhere," Johnson said.
Investigators believe it was the space heater that ignited the fire, which severely damaged the one-story brick home, which Johnson said was not insured. Capt. Fred Revere Jr. with the Atlanta Fire Department said a crew arrived within seconds to battle the fire. No injuries were reported.
When temperatures dip in the fall, people often use portable heaters for warmth, Revere said. But proper care must be taken to use heaters safely, he said.
“If you’re not going to be in the home, turn them off. Unplug them," Revere said. "They’re very dangerous."
Johnson said he lost his Bible and photographs among other personal items in the fire.
"One thing about it, I still have my health and strength," Johnson said.
Johnson also has a lasting memory of his wife, Essie, who died in March. The urn containing her ashes survived the fire.
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