Written by: E. George
Published December 4, 2023 @ 9:30 PM ET
BARROW COUNTY, Ga. – On March 10, 2023, Barrow County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a violent house fire on Hidden Acres Road in Winder that claimed several lives and caused multiple injuries. On October 27, 2023, homeowner William James Chestnut was arrested and charged with reckless conduct and three misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Upon arrival, the deputies saw that the house was “fully engulfed,” and they could not enter the building. They found an unidentified unconscious woman lying on the ground across the street with a severe laceration to her head and blood covering her face, making it impossible for a deputy to identify her compared to a photograph.
When she regained consciousness, she screamed in pain before making statements about jumping out a window and her dogs still inside the house. EMS arrived and determined that her airway had sustained burns; she was life-flighted to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
Law enforcement checked the surrounding areas and evacuated
