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GoFundMe raises money for Paulding County parents of teens killed in house fire
A GoFundMe has been started to help raise money for the parents of the two teens Paulding County officials say died in a house fire on Baskin Road Friday afternoon.
PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. - Paulding County Fire Rescue on Saturday named the two boys who died from injuries in a devastating house fire on Friday afternoon.
"Our units went in rescue mode, and they went through the window, and they located two victims upstairs," said Paulding County Fire Chief Joey Pelfrey.
Officials said Robert Deaton, 17, was found dead at the scene on Baskin Road. Caleb Deaton, 13, died at Tanner Villa Rica Hospital from serious injuries.
A neighbor saw all of this unfolding and tried to help.
"I just knew it was time to go there and do something, but there was nothing I could do," said Curtis Lewis, the neighbor.
Investigators are still working with Georgia Fire Marshals to determine the cause of the fire.
Officials said both boys were alone at home on Baskin Road when the fire broke out at around 3:18 p.m. on Friday. Fire officials say neighbors called 911 after hearing popping sounds and spotting flames shooting from the home.
Firefighters said about half of the home was engulfed in flames when they arrived about 8 minutes later. Emergency crews, noticing a car in the driveway, began to search the home.
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2 teens killed in Paulding County house fire
Two teens were killed after a fire tore through a Paulding County home on Friday.
The two boys were pulled from the top floor and brought to the front yard, where medics began to assess them.
A GoFundMe has been started to help the boys' parents recuperate. According to the description on the fundraiser, the parents didn't just lose their sons, but their whole world.
A GoFundMe was created to help the Deaton family pick up the pieces.
In the post, the boys' mother was quoted saying, "They were so amazing. Robert wanted to be a DNR wildlife conservationist. He was amazing with any firearm you put in his hands. He loved animals and was such a kind, loving, and protective son and friend. Caleb also loved animals, was sassy and always spoke his mind. He was kind and funny. They both were."
The Paulding County fire chief says this loss hurts.
"It rips you apart. It rips this whole community apart when something like this happens."