3 Killed In Separate Fatal Fires

Three people, including a 12-year-old boy, died Friday after two fatal fires in the Tennessee Valley.

The first fire ripped through a Whitfield County mobile home early Friday morning, killing two inside.

Nine people were staying in the trailer off Cleveland Highway when the fire began.

Seven escaped and were taken to a Dalton hospital. Since then, three have been airlifted to a hospital in Augusta.

Juan Carlos Barragan, 33, and Daman Garcia, 12, were found dead inside the home, both lying beside doors, said Whitfield County Fire Chief Carl Collins.

Investigators, Collins said, found several space heaters in the trailer, a likely source of the fire. He said some heaters were very close to furniture.

Another house fire later Friday left an elderly woman dead.

This one took place in Meigs County, where firefighters found 87-year-old Beulah Elaine Skeen dead in her home on Centerpoint Road near Decatur.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Decatur Fire Chief Eddie Jewell says faulty electrical wiring likely started the blaze.

Also in Decatur Thursday, a Thanksgiving day fire nearly destroys a man's home there.

Chief Jewell says the man's turkey deep fryer turned over, causing his garage and part of his home to go up in smoke.

No one was injured, but damage is estimated at $50,000.