Young children home alone die after fire breaks out, NC officials say. ‘Heartbroken’
Two young children were home alone when a deadly fire tore through a North Carolina home, officials said.
The kids — ages 2 and 3 — were pulled out of the burning home and pronounced dead after the blaze on Friday, Jan. 13, according to Rutherford County Fire Marshal Frankie Hamrick.
Officials said a passerby reported the fire at about 10 a.m. along Bostic Sunshine Highway, roughly 60 miles west of Charlotte. Crews responded to the home, where they found flames and heavy smoke.
“There was just smoke everywhere,” neighbor Dorothy Miller told WSPA.
While at the scene, a man reportedly told first responders his two grandchildren were trapped inside a bedroom. The toddlers were found and received CPR.
The children later were rushed to Atrium Health Cleveland hospital in nearby Shelby, where they were pronounced dead, firefighters wrote in a news release.
“They had the biggest hearts, the cutest smiles,” Amber Suttle, a longtime family friend, told WSPA. “They were just the best kids. We’re heartbroken at this point.”
The Rutherford County Fire Marshal’s Office and N.C. State Bureau of Investigation are investigating the fire, which is believed to have started near a living room couch, officials wrote.
This story was originally published January 17, 2023 at 9:25 AM with the headline "Young children home alone die after fire breaks out, NC officials say. ‘Heartbroken’."
