5 people, including 2 girls, killed in DeKalb County house fire
DECATUR, Ga. - An overnight house fire in DeKalb County has claimed the lives of five people - two of whom are children - and injured three others.
The blaze broke out just after midnight in the home on the 1900 block of Janet Lane, off of Glenwood Road. Arriving firefighters saw heavy smoke and fire shooting out of the house. A resident told them that people were trapped inside, sending crews into rescue mode.
A few of the 10 family members who were inside the home at the time managed to escape, but three of them ended up getting hurt.
Family members identified the victims as 3-year-old Angel and 6-year-old Aliyah Regular as well as their mother, 30-year-old Terryona Regular. Two of the little girl's great uncles, 51-year-old Timothy Regular and 49-year-old Pedro Conte, also died in the blaze.
3-year-old Angel and 6-year-old Aliyah Regular (Courtesy of the family)
One of the women who was able to get out of the home was pregnant and went in labor as a result of the fire. She was rushed to the hospital and called her grandmother to tell her about the tragedy.
"My daughter called me. She made it out with her two kids. And my sister's burned real bad. She's at Grady," the woman said through tears.
30-year-old Terryona Regular and 51-year-old Timothy Regular (Courtesy of the family)
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Authorities said they do not know if there were working smoke detectors in the home.
None of the 30 firefighters who responded suffered any physical injuries.