A 38-year-old man is dead following an explosion and structure fire yesterday morning. Walker County Fire Rescue responded to an address on Alton Terrace Spur around 8:25 a.m., after a neighbor reported a fire. Firefighters found heavy flames coming from a small outbuilding near the road. After extinguishing the fire, they discovered the man’s body inside. A neighbor told investigators they saw the man enter the building shortly before the explosion. His identity is being withheld pending positive identification and notification of next of kin. It’s Walker County’s first fire-related fatality this year. The cause remains under investigation, but foul play has been ruled out.
Early voting continues this week in Walker County. The polls will also be open on Saturday this week. The county has ranked at the bottom of the state for voter turnout in this early voting cycle. As of yesterday, when the polls closed, 2,695 votes had been cast in Walker County. Election Day in Tuesday, November 3rd.
A free bicycle tour of Chickamauga Battlefield is being offered this Saturday. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, along with Outdoor Chattanooga, will host the approximately four-mile tour beginning at 8:30 Saturday morning at the lower parking lot of the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center. The tour lasts about three hours and is open to children age ten and older with an adult. Free loaner bicycles are available with advance reservations for riders at least five feet tall.
Good luck to the LaFayette Lady Ramblers as they play today in the Sweet 16 of the GHSA State Volleyball Tournament. The top seeded Ramblers face Lumpkin County today at 5:30pm at Dan Priest Arena. Tickets are $10.