83-year-old man found dead in kitchen of burning Paulding County home

Man dies in Paulding County house fire

Vernie Watts, 83, a disable veteran, died after a fire broke out in his Temple home.

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. - An 83-year-old man has been killed in an early morning fire in Paulding County Tuesday.

Officials with Paulding County Fire say they received multiple calls at around 6:45 a.m. about a fire at a home on Courthouse Park Drive.

When crews arrived at the scene, they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the front of the home.

At the time the blaze started, officials say five people were inside the home. Four were able to escape on their own before firefighters arrived. The fifth, an 83-year-old man, became trapped in the kitchen.

(Paulding County Police Department)

Fire crews made entry into the building and were able to get the man out to the back deck, but he had already succumbed to his injuries.

After the rescue attempt, the roof of the building collapsed while crews worked to put out the blaze.

Man killed in house fire in Paulding County

An 83-year-old man has died after officials say he was trapped in his kitchen in his Paulding County home. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Courthouse Park Drive at Courthouse Road is closed while crews attempt to keep the flames under control.

The cause of the fire is not known at this time.