FORT VALLEY, Ga. — Update, 10:29 a.m. March 12:
The Fort Valley coroner has identified the two women who died in the house fire.
Coroner Kerry Rooks says 64-year-old Violet Barnes and 27-year-old Desjamebra Powell were unable to get out of the house before it went up in flames.
Bryce Rawson, from the Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, said the cause of the fire has been classified as "undetermined," and it appears to be accidental.
He said their team could not determine the presence of a smoke detector due to the extensive damage throughout the home.
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Rena Brown is still processing what happened early Monday morning directly behind her home. She woke up around 3 a.m. to the smell of smoke and thought it was her backyard shed.
"I yelled out to my son to see if he was in the house and as I walked outside, I noticed it was my neighbor's house burning," Brown said.
Brown told 13WMAZ she called 911 and dispatch told her they were aware of the call. She said she watched as the home went up in flames.
"Everything was silent. No one was out watching but me, but I was just hoping everyone got out safe," Brown said.
Peach County Coroner Kerry Rooks, confirmed it was two women who died in the fire. Brown said her neighbor owned three of the four dogs but the fourth dog was like family.
"One of the dogs belonged to my son and I just learned that when he mentioned it to me," Brown said.
Brown said the last time she saw her son's dog was the day before. She said she knew her neighbor gave the dog to her son but was sad that none of the pits made it out safely.
Michael Ross lives next door to Brown.
He says he has never seen a fire with this kind of intensity. He said he didn't expect anything like that to happen in this neighborhood. He didn't know the two well but knew they were nice people.
"She was very friendly, cordial, and very positive. She loved her dogs," Ross said.
Brown says she never met the two women but saw one of them when she was coming from work. They would talk and say hello from time to time but she sends her condolences to the family.
"My heart goes out to the children and her entire family," Brown said.
Assistant Fire Chief Alex Pryor says they're still looking into how the fire started.
So far, authorities have not confirmed the names of the two victims.
Coroner Rooks told 13WMAZ they are planning to meet with people tomorrow to verify if they are next of kin.