Two persons have been confirmed dead in a fire at a nursing home in DeKalb County. An arrest has already been made in the incident, and Atlanta nursing home abuse lawyers have also learned that the facility owner had likely been operating the home without a license.
The house in Stone Mountain had about 7 or 8 residents living at the facility.
One person died of injuries at the scene, while the other one was taken to hospital and died later from severe burn injuries. At least 4 other people suffered injuries, including mild burns and smoke inhalation. At least one resident has confirmed that he escaped burn injuries by jumping out of his first storey window.
Police have arrested 26-year-od Joyce Turnipseed and have charged her with arson and homicide.Apparently, Turnipseed had been living at the facility too. The Department of Community Heath has confirmed that it is investigating whether the owner of the facility had a valid license to run the special needs home.
Even if the facility was being run under a valid license, there are other questions that must be asked here. The fire protection systems in the house will definitely be one of the main focuses of the investigation. What kind of fire protection processes were in place here? Were building codes and standards followed stringently?
We know the media and everyone else seems to be focused on whatever is going on at Toyota, but we hope that serious questions will be asked in this incident. Two lives have been lost, and 4 other people have been put through a traumatic experience.