LaFayette High School teacher killed, family injured in Chickamauga house fire

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The remains of a home on Ridgewood Circle near Chickamauga, Ga., are seen after a fire on Nov. 9, 2025, that killed LaFayette High School teacher John Millican III and left his wife and two young children hospitalized with serious injuries. (Walker County goverrnment)

CHICKAMAUGA, Ga. - A Walker County teacher was killed and his wife and two young children were seriously injured when a fire swept through their home early Sunday morning.

What we know:

Walker County Fire Marshal Scott Forrest said crews were dispatched around 7:38 a.m. to reports of smoke inside a home at 127 Ridgewood Circle near Chickamauga. Firefighters arrived about nine minutes later to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the front of the house.

Heather Millican and her children, ages 3 and 8, had made it out safely, but her husband, John Millican III, remained trapped inside. Firefighters located him unconscious in a back bedroom and rushed him to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Millican was a teacher and coach at LaFayette High School. His wife, a social studies teacher at LaFayette Middle School, and both children were taken to Vanderbilt Burn Center in Nashville for treatment of serious injuries.

What they're saying:

The Walker County School District released the following statement on Monday:

"The Walker County Schools family is deeply saddened by the tragic events that occurred early this morning in Chickamauga. A house fire claimed the life of Mr. John Millican, a teacher and coach at LaFayette High School. His wife, Mrs. Heather Millican, a teacher and coach at LaFayette Middle School, and their two young children were transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment.

"This heartbreaking loss is being felt across our school communities. We ask everyone to keep the Millican family and all those affected in your thoughts and prayers in the days ahead.
Counselors and school social workers will be onsite and available in our schools to support students and staff during this difficult time. Information on how the community can offer support will be shared as it becomes available."

What we don't know:

Investigators said the cause of the fire remains under investigation. The home was declared a total loss.