Father and Daughter Die in Weekend Fire

BUTLER COUNTY, Ala.

The names of two victims who died in a weekend house fire in Butler County are being released.

Tanya Walton, 28, and her father, Jimmy Walton, 72, were killed in an early Sunday morning blaze, according to Georgiana Police Chief Jeremy Peagler.

Peagler said a 911 call came in around 3:20 a.m. with a report of a fully involved house fire at 1169 South Palmer Avenue.

First responders arrived on a the scene where they met with a “frantic resident,” the chief said, and were told that her husband and daughter were inside.

“Unfortunately, two individuals were confirmed deceased,” the chief said.

The house and a vehicle were destroyed, as seen in photos provided by Carlo Mitchell, a member of the victims’ family.

A GoFundMe account is set up to collect donations for the surviving family member, according to Malasia Clark, a family member who is organizing the fundraiser. Clarke’s message on the account stated that the victims “were initially able to escape,” but that Tanya Walton went back in to rescue her two dogs. Her father is also said to have gone back inside “to help her escape.”

“Unfortunately, they were unable to escape out of the house in time before it collapsed,” Clark wrote.

The victims’ remains have been taken to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, Peagler said.

Family members stated that a space heater was to blame for the blaze, but the official cause of the blaze remains under investigation by the Alabama State Fire Marshal’s Office.

WSFA