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Boy, elderly woman killed in Palm Bay house fire: Full
A 10-year-old boy and an elderly woman were killed Monday in a house fire in Palm Bay, officials said. The fire was reportedly around 2 a.m. and firefighters found the house fully engulfed in flames when they arrived. Nearly all of the home was destroyed in the fire, officials said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
PALM BAY, Fla. - A Florida grandmother and her 10-year-old grandson were killed early Monday morning in a devastating house fire in Palm Bay, according to Palm Bay Fire Assistant Fire Chief Richard Acevedo.
What we know:
Firefighters with Palm Bay Fire Rescue responded to the home around 2:20 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 12, after receiving several 911 calls regarding a house fire and people potentially trapped inside.
Assistant Fire Chief Acevedo told FOX 35 that when firefighters arrived at the home, nearly the entire house was engulfed in fire and smoke. A woman was outside the home when firefighters arrived and alerted them to two people inside the home.
Officials said a 10-year-old boy and an elderly woman died in the fire. Their names have not yet been released.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Preliminary details on a potential cause were not released.
"The entire home was pretty much burned. There's no spot that is burned than the other. I just did a walk around, and it seemed pretty involved on all sides," Acevedo said.
Memorial outside the home: ‘A sweet little boy’
On Monday, neighbors who lived near the home helped build a makeshift memorial outside the home.
What they're saying:
Maureen Bell, who lives nearby, told FOX 35's Stephanie Buffamonte that she heard people screaming when she came out of her home.
"It was terrible when we heard that because he was just a sweet little boy," she said.
Michael Walsh, another neighbor, said the fire spread throughout the home quickly.
"From the initial point of ignition to when it was out of control, it was only like 15 minutes so it went up quick," he said.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Palm Bay Fire Rescue.