November 11, 2003
Fitzgerald- Hours after the fire, arson investigators and firefighters dig through the charred remains of 203 Lynn Drive.
"We heard the sirens and we looked out of the window and we could see the red glow. It was engulfed in flames, it really was," says neighbor, Jack Martin.
When firemen arrived they found parents waiting helplessly outside because the flames were too hot to go back in search for their 3 year son.
"The little boy, about three years old I understand, was in the bed with them. When they first were alerted, smoke my have been heat or whatever, it woke them up. The baby wasn't in the bed he was somewhere else," Martin explains.
Firefighters found the boy alive inside, but he'd already inhaled too much smoke. He was later pronounced dead at Dorminy Medical Center. The fire not only took a young life, but also claimed years of memories for neighbor Jack Martin.
"My wife and I had the home built in 1960. We lived there for twenty years. We raised our family there. It was heartbreaking to walk up there this morning and see what that fire did and thinking about the loss of their child."
Martin says he never took time to meet the family who now lived in the house, but says he hopes this tragedy will bring his community closer together.
Firefighters aren't releasing the name of the boy and are still searching for the cause of the fire. It remains under investigation.
Posted at 6:20 PM by elaine.armstrong@walb.com
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