OGLETHORPE, Ga. — On Saturday morning, the Battle family got a call they won't forget. David Battle said his brother and three nephews were killed in the fire on Kaigle Street.
"This is devastation," he said.
The four people who died were 44-year-old Michael Battle, 7-year-old Andre Simmons, 5-year-old Michael Jr., and 3-year-old Gabriel.
"We lost our mom about three years ago, and we were all just trying to cope with that. Now with the loss of them, it put us back at square one," he said.
Oglethorpe Fire Chief Billy Martin said the call came in around 2:45 a.m. to a home on Kaigle Street. He said when they arrived, the home was fully engulfed.
Martin said investigators from the state fire marshal's office believe the fire started in the family's clothes dryer, possibly from lint or from oily clothes.
Macon County fire kills four
Battle said his brother was someone everyone in Oglethorpe knew.
"He treated everybody as if they were family, very humorous person, loved to laugh, loved joking, loved to cook. Just an all around a great guy," he said.
Battle said they had a great relationship, even from hours away.
"We were both WWE fans, so we talked a lot about wrestling. He loved coming to my house in Columbus and just relaxing," he said.
As a father, Battle said he was the best of the best.
"He would give his life for his kids, he was one of those kinds of people, he believed in talking to his kids," he said.
Battle said if you didn't have the pleasure of knowing his brother, you missed out.
Although family members told us the names of the victims, the coroner's office said they won't confirm those names until autopsies and dental results come back.
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