DAWSONVILLE, Ga. - Investigators believe they have found the cause of a Lumpkin County house fire Monday afternoon that killed two young children.
The fire happened at a prefabricated home on Rider Road Spur around 4:15 p.m. According to the State Fire Marshal's Office, a discarded cigarette could be to blame for the blaze.
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The victims have been identified as Noah Gaydon, 2, and his sister Kaylee Gaydon, who is just 1-year-old.
Investigators said the fire started on the front porch and burned into the interior of the home.
A neighbor told FOX 5 her fiance ran over after seeing the flames and tried to save the children. Sarah Haydon, the victims' mother, was standing outside when the fire started.
"Once he broke the window, it got too hot for him to get in," Cheri Hewell said.
She also said the children's father, identified as Jonathan Gaydon, was at a nearby store with an older child. The mother works nights and normally the father takes all the children out during the day, according to Hewell. That's why the neighbor believes the mother ran out of the burning home alone.
"She didn't know if they were there or if the dad had taken them," Hewell added. "I'm very devastated for them. I hope they can find comfort in God and know that he is going to take care of them."
Multiple agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the State Fire Marshal's Office, responded to the scene. Lumpkin County Sheriff Stacy Jarrard said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
SKYFOX 5 flew over the home as it was smoldering. The fire later flared back up as firefighters worked the scene.