Morning Blaze Leaves Two Fatalities

An early morning blaze on Commons Court left two fatalities and three firefighters at the hospital, according to fire officials.

The and responded to a call at approximately 1:30 a.m. in the Kingston Square Subdivision to find a family trapped inside a working structure fire.

"Firefighters quickly responded to the scene to find the house fully involved and began a defensive attack," said Tim Cavender, spokesman for Cherokee Fire and EMS.

Firefighters are still on scene where two out of four family members did not make it out of the fire, said Woodstock Fire Chief Dave Soumas.

A 78-year-old man and his 77-year-old wife were discovered shortly after 8 a.m., Cavender said.

"The couple’s daughter and her 25-year-old son were also living with the couple, and they escaped without injury," Cavender said. "According to the couple’s daughter, her mother was under hospice care with Parkinsons disease."

Three firemen, two Cherokee and one Woodstock, were transported to Kennestone Hospital, but one remains after he was trapped in the basement for 10 to 15 minutes, Soumas said.

"We arrived on the scene and while trying to put out the fire, we had a front porch collapse with our firemen standing on the porch," Soumas said. "They ended up being collapsed into the basement. Two of our firefighters were able to get out, but one was still trapped with heavy debris on top of him."

The Woodstock firefighter is in stable condition without major injuries.

The fire is under investigation by Cherokee County.