2 dead after house fire in McIntosh County

TOWNSEND, Ga. (WTOC) - Two people are dead and the state fire marshal’s office is investigating after a house fire over the holiday weekend in McIntosh County.

It happened on Highway 99 in the Crescent area, near Townsend in the early hours of Dec. 30. According to officials, the victims are 91-year-old Elnora Butler, and her son, 59-year-old Darryl Skipper.

“Seriously, life isn’t going to be the same without them.”

Marsyas Ellison says his grandmother and uncle died in Friday’s fire, and he says his family’s loss is indescribable.

“When you’re young, you think you have so much time, but you truly never know when your next steps are going to be your last. So, my grandmother and uncle are going to be missed immensely,” Ellison said.

According to the state office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, the fire began just after 1 a.m. on Dec. 30, and the home didn’t have smoke alarms. Ellison says the house – located off Highway 99 near Barwise Road – is a total loss.

“The thing is, we don’t have two people, and the matriarch of our family, she’s gone now. I don’t know what it’s going to be, but I told my uncle that life won’t be the same without her, she’s the rock of the family,” Ellison said.

Ellison, remembering his grandmother, a long-time McIntosh County native, as a vibrant woman.

“When she saw me, her face lit up like she was seeing an angel, that’s I mean, I’m definitely going to miss my grandmother. I can only imagine what my mom and her siblings are feeling right now,” he said.

The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, but officials say they don’t suspect foul play at this time.

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