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70-year-old man dead after house fire in Sparta

The fire happened at a home on the east side of Lake Sinclair.

SPARTA, Georgia — A man is dead after an early Friday morning house fire in Sparta, according to Hancock County Deputy Coroner Dontrelle Andrews.

The call came in just after 4:45 a.m. that a house was on fire at 77 Shortleaf Court located on the east side of Lake Sinclair. 

When firefighters arrived at around 5 a.m. the fire had spread and the home was fully engulfed by the flames. 

70-year-old Stephen Butler was found dead inside the home. Andrews says Butler almost made it out of the house.  His body was found just four feet inside the front door of the home.

His wife was not home at the time of the fire. Andrews said they believe Butler is from Florida as the car in the driveway has a Florida tag. 

Baldwin County Fire Investigations are looking into the cause of the fire. 

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