A former mayor of a town in Oglethorpe County died while fighting a fire that destroyed his wife’s business in a historic building.
Maxeys Mayor Warren Gilson told The Athens Banner-Herald that William “Bill” Winkle died Saturday.
He lived with his wife, Rachel Winkle, in the rear of Maxeys Country Store, said Gilson. The store sold antiques and collectibles.
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When the fire started sometime after 9 a.m. Saturday, Bill Winkle tried to put it out with a fire extinguisher, Gilson said. Unable to bring the fire under control, Winkle went to the Maxeys Volunteer Fire Department next to the store.