Hall County's fire marshal confirmed today that a fire on Railroad Avenue was deliberately set last week.

Evidence shows the Jan. 9 fire in Flowery Branch was "the sole action of one individual," Hall County Fire Marshal Scott Cagle said in a new release.

Outside the burning home police found the body of Dennis Chadwick, who'd been shot in the chest. An autopsy report determined Chadwick died from a gunshot wound to the chest. Local police said that wound was likely self-inflicted.

"All pieces of the puzzle point to the victim acting alone, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family," Cagle said in the statement.

Cagle did not speculate on why Chadwick may have set the fire.

"This tough economic time is affecting people in different ways. No individual can assume or guess how it would be handled unless they are actually in this individual's shoes," he said.

Soon after the fire was extinguished last week, investigators hinted at the likelihood that it was deliberately set.

Based on burn patterns on the floor of the 1,200-square-foot home, as well as evidence collected in the house, Cagle told The Times the cause of the fire was not accidental.