Deadly house fire started in attic

March 14--DALTON, Ga. -- A 44-year-old Whitfield County woman died after her home on Hill Drive caught on fire Sunday and investigators are trying to determine what led to the deadly blaze.

Coroner Greg Bates confirmed that Tonya Ovbey of 601 Hill Drive died in the fire. He said her body will be sent to the state crime lab for an official cause of death.

According to Whitfield County Fire Chief Ed O'Brien, Ovbey died after firefighters removed her from the home and performed CPR. She was taken to Hamilton Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

O'Brien said he couldn't pinpoint a cause.

"We really don't know," he said. "We are trying to figure out what happened and we really don't have a solid answer yet. It was a dead center fire in the center of the house by the time we got there."

A press release from Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner Ralph Hudgens said the initial investigation indicated the fire started in the attic but the exact cause of the fire remained under investigation. The release said there was no evidence of a working smoke alarm.

The 911 Center said the fire was reported at about 5:40 p.m. at 601 Hill Drive, which is in eastern Whitfield County near the Whitfield County Recreation Department.

O'Brien said firefighters from Station 8, which is less than a mile from the house, responded within three minutes and the fire was already fully active with flames coming out of the back of the house and out of the door and windows on the front of the house. Three other engines and crews along with O'Brien and others responded as well.

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