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Neighbor says he witnessed fire that killed father-son duo
A DeKalb County man says he watched helplessly as firemen tried to battle the blaze that would eventually kill his neighbor and his adult son on Christmas.
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - It was a tragic start to Christmas for people in one quiet DeKalb County neighborhood.
A man and his adult son died in a house fire. First responders said the usual challenge of battling a blaze became greater due to the bitter temperatures.
Otis Battle lives across the street from the burned home. He says his neighbor was a nice man and that the family was friendly.
"He’s the only guy we used to talk to," Battle told FOX 5 in an interview.
Battle remembered watching helplessly early Christmas morning as firefighters fought to save his neighbor and his son.
MAJOR FIRES CONSUME DULUTH, DECATUR, ATLANTA APARTMENTS ON CHRISTMAS
DeKalb County firefighters said they got the call around 3:15 Sunday morning to Thompson Circle in the Decatur area.
When they arrived, someone else who was in the house ran up and told them two men were still inside.
"I heard the sirens and stuff coming," Battle said. "I saw the ambulance and it was so many fire trucks."
Firefighters found one man who had completely been overcome by smoke inhalation. Medics rushed him to the hospital where he did not survive.
When first responders got further into the house, they found the other man's body.
Fire crews say the victims were father and son.
Battle knew the father.
"He was quiet and always nice," he told FOX 5. Battle said he would often hear the man playing a ukulele from across the street.
Fighting fire in the sub-freezing temperatures of Georgia's arctic blast has been an added obstacle for fire crew around Georgia. The DeKalb County chief told FOX 5 Christmas also traditionally holds as the second-busiest day for home fires.
"We do want to make sure on Christmas day that it’s recognized, the number one reason we have fires is unattended cooking," Chief Darnell Fullum of the DeKalb County Fire Department said.
The identities of the victims in this tragic fire have not yet been released by officials.
There has not been a word on the potential cause of the fire.