By Marcus K. Garner
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Citing “neglect of duty,” DeKalb County officials on Friday terminated four firefighters involved in a fatal Dunwoody house fire that firefighters first responded to five hours earlier and were unable to find a blaze.
Also Friday, authorities said Dunwoody police have opened a criminal investigation into the fire with the help of the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office and the DeKalb Fire and Rescue Department.
Ann Bartlett, 74, died when a fire swept through her home in the 1600 block of Houghton Court after firefighters responded to her emergency call early Sunday morning and left when they couldn’t find a blaze.
Firefighters returned five hours later, after a second 911 call from neighbors, to find Bartlett’s house fully engulfed in flames. Her body was found in the home’s remains after the fire was extinguished.
Acting Officer-in-Charge William J. Greene, Capt. Tony L. Motes and Battalion Chiefs Lesley Clark and Bennie J. Paige were fired following an investigation into the fire response time.
Earlier in the week, Greene, Motes and Clark had been placed on administrative leave with pay, along with another DeKalb County Fire and Rescue officer, Capt. Sell Caldwell, as the department conducted an internal investigation. Officials did not respond Friday to multiple telephone inquiries about Caldwell.
Sgt. Mike Carlson, a Dunwoody police spokesman, said officers were dispatched --- as per department routine --- to Bartlett’s address six minutes after the firefighters, who were sent out at 1:05:36 a.m. The officers returned to their patrol when firefighters said there was no fire.
“Two Dunwoody police officers arrived on the scene and found several DeKalb County Fire Department vehicles preparing to leave,” Carlson said. “The Dunwoody police officers were advised by a firefighter from Ladder 18 that they could not locate any fire and were going back in service.”
Carlson said police typically conduct criminal investigations of any death reported in Dunwoody, but he could provide no further details because the investigation was open.
In her 911 call, made at 1:03 a.m. Sunday, Bartlett said, “I set the house on fire with the thing from my nose,” referring to the oxygen concentrator she used when she slept.
Wednesday night, the Fire Department completed an internal investigation of its response to the fatal fire that said Greene, Motes, Caldwell and Clark “failed to establish incident command as required by departmental guidelines.”
Seeing no signs of fire when they initially arrived on the scene at 1:15 a.m., firefighters drove around the cul-de-sac without getting out of the fire engine or walking up to the home to investigate, according to the investigation.
Bartlett’s family believes she would still be alive had firefighters done their jobs. Although county officials offered a public apology Thursday to the victim’s family, her daughter Ruth Bartlett has called for an individual apology from the officers involved.
“Getting some of the report has been comforting,” the daughter said. “An apology would give us some closure.”
Copyright 2010 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution