1 juvenile killed, 1 airlifted after Georgia house fire, officials say
BUTTS COUNTY, Ga. - A house fire Sunday morning killed one person and injured one person, according to officials.
Butts County Fire confirmed in a Tweet that the fire broke out around 6:40 a.m. on Highway 42 South near Indian Springs.
Heavy smoke and fire were seen when fire crews arrived on the scene.
"It hurts to see [the house] like that,” 18-year-old Nicolas Jackson said. Jackson is a good friend Nevaeh Lockard.
She and her brother Aiden McNutt were so close, that family and friends say Nevaeh said she raised her brother.
“My heart just breaks for them,” her boyfriend, Ashton Handley said. “Especially after hearing about her brother.”
According to the Butts County Fire Chief, the person who died was a juvenile.
Firefighters found Neveah outside the home, badly burned.
Her brother Aiden was still inside at the time. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but didn't make it.
“He was real athletic, loving, sweet,” their grandmother, Cindy Holstinger said.
She was too upset to speak on camera, but she says Aiden typically lived in Covington.
The boy was visiting his mother and sister in Butt’s county to celebrate both his and his sister’s birthday.
Nevaeh will spend her 17th birthday in a medically induced coma at Grady Memorial Hospital.
One firefighter suffered a minor injury when they rolled an ankle.
Investigators are what to learn what caused the fire. The Red Cross is assisting the family.
The family told FOX 5 News they’re starting a GoFundMe page and will provide updates on funeral arrangements.
“I was here last week and they were on the trampoline,” McNutt remembered. “Having water bottle fights…Just [being] brother and sister,” she said.