A 17-year-old and a 13-year-old were killed Friday afternoon in a Paulding County house fire, officials said.
The blaze broke out at a home along Baskin Road about 3:15 p.m. By the time crews got to the scene a few minutes later, about 50 percent of the home was compromised, Paulding fire spokesman Steve Mapes told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. At that point, firefighters did not know if anyone was inside.
The two boys were found upstairs, Mapes said. Robert Deaton, 17, was pronounced dead in the front yard, while Caleb Deaton, 13, was taken to a hospital in serious condition and later died, Mapes said.
No one else was home at the time of the fire, Mapes said. The teens’ mother arrived at the scene after the fire was nearly extinguished.
Neighbor Curtis Lewis told Channel 2 Action News he rushed to the home but did not enter because the flames were too intense.
“That’s way too early to die in life. I lost a grandchild the same way,” Lewis said.
No details about how the fire began were released.
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