UPDATE | One dead, another critically injured in house fire in Georgetown
GEORGETOWN, De. – A senior citizen has died and a child is in critical condition following a house fire Thursday morning in Georgetown.
At approximately 8:30a.m., first responders were called to the scene of a fire on Market Street. When they arrived, Chief Deputy Fire Marshall John Galaska of the Delaware State Fire Marshal’s office said they had to act fast.
“It was bad,” Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Galaska said. “It was un survivable conditions at that time, if a rescue wasn’t made.”
Sonya Roberts, a next-door neighbor heard a commotion and ran outside to see what was happening.
“Something made me look up and I saw just a light haze of smoke overtop the house,” Roberts said.
And that’s when Roberts realized her neighbor’s family was trapped inside of the smoking building.
“He started to try to go in, but I pulled him back and he followed me, even though he didn’t understand what I was saying,” Roberts said.
At least two people were rescued from the building, one of them, a young child, who Dequian Flamer said was in a physical state he’d never seen before.
“The firefighter, he was carrying [her]; came right next to me, I guess doing CPR,” Flamer said.
“I’m really witnessing, you know, such a terrifying situation,” Flamer said. “It messed me up.”
While the fire department can’t pinpoint a cause yet, Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Galaska said they’re actively looking for the source.
“Delaware State Fire Marshal’s major incident response team will be on scene to do origin and cause investigation, assisted by Georgetown Police, Delaware State Police and Georgetown Code Enforcement and we’ll be working towards getting that answer,” Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Galaska said.
As of Thursday evening, the Delaware State Fire Marshal’s Office issued an update, revealing that the 87-year-old resident who was rescued from the blaze died at the hospital. Meanwhile, the other victim, an 18-month-old child, was flown to the Nemours Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware where they remain in critical condition.
State fire investigators and detectives from the Georgetown Police Department are conducting an investigation into the circumstances of this fire. Heavy fire damage was estimated at $300,000.
Anyone with information regarding this fire including any cell phone or home security video footage is asked to contact the State Fire Marshal’s – Sussex Division at (302) 856-5600.
