Walhalla Fire Victim Identified
A mobile home fire at 540 Adams Sullivan Road near Walhalla was reported to Oconee 911 Communications at 12:38 pm on Thursday, February 11th.
The Walhalla Fire Department and other mutual aid stations responded; upon extinguishment of the fire, the body of a man was discovered.
A tentative identification for the deceased was made based on known occupancy of the residence.
The family was been informed of the death and provided medical information which was used at autopsy in an attempt to make a positive identification.
The autopsy was performed Friday morning; identification has been confirmed based on dental x-rays and medical implant devices.
The deceased is identified as Marlan Frank Sparks; Mr. Sparks was 65 years of age. His cause of death is smoke inhalation and thermal injuries. His manner of death remains pending investigation.
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Department with assistance from SLED Fire Investigations and the Walhalla Fire Department continues to investigate the cause and origin of the fire. Their investigation findings will be utilized to make a final ruling on the manner of death.
Further inquiries regarding this incident may be obtained from the Oconee County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson.