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KINGSTON, Ga. - Two brothers were killed in a Kingston, Georgia house fire overnight in what insurance and safety fire commissioner officials are now calling an accident.
Chief David Levey of the Bartow County fire says crews arrived at the house on Martin Luther King Jr. Circle in Kingston around 1:20 a.m. on Friday.
Scottie Croy, 42, and his brother Jeffery, 40, both died at the home.
"They were good boys," Betty Jenkins said. "They had a heart of gold. This is a tragedy."
Jenkins told FOX 5 News, Scottie and Jeffrey were her cousins.
"Two lives lost that can't be replaced," Jenkins said. "How do you move forward?"
Their parents David Croy, 68, and Glenda Croy, 69, survived but were taken to a nearby hospital, according to insurance commissioner spokesperson, Glenn Allen.
"From what I was told, David and Glenda ran out of the back of the house," Jenkins said. "Glenda and David looked for the boys in the front yard but they weren't there, so Glenda ran back in to try and save them, but it was too late. They found Glenda in the kitchen. They are both at hospitals and they are going to be okay, but they both inhaled a lot of smoke and Glenda has burns on her body."
Officials determined the fire started in a bedroom that was in the back of the house and was likely caused by an electrical malfunction. Investigators say they could not find any working smoke detectors in the home.
"All I can think about is all the times I passed by here and I was in a big rush to get somewhere," Jenkins said. "I should have stopped. I should have said hello. Family and friends, stop and tell your loved ones you love them because you never know it might be your last chance."