Two children, including an 8-year-old with autism, died Wednesday morning when a fire tore through their LaGrange mobile home and trapped them inside.
Lynette Chester, the mother of William and Desmond Chester, went back inside the family’s Cherry Valley Lane residence to try to save the boys, according to the state fire marshal’s office. She made it out alive. William, 12, and Desmond, 8, did not.
Their father, 40-year-old James Holmes, told Channel 2 Action News he saw smoke when he went to the bathroom about 3 a.m. and woke up his wife. He also tried to rescue the children, but the flames prevented him from reaching them, he said.
Credit: Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner
Credit: Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner
The trailer, which was built in the 1970s, was engulfed when LaGrange police and firefighters arrived at the scene, according to Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King. State investigators determined the fire was accidental. It left the mobile home completely destroyed.
Officials found the body of one of the children in the mobile home’s kitchen, King said. The other child’s body was found in a back bedroom, he said.
Lynette Chester was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition. Holmes was not injured in the blaze.
“Any loss of life due to a Georgia fire is hard, but the loss of two children is even harder,” King said. “As a husband and father, I am keeping this family and their loved ones in my prayers throughout the coming days. I know my staff will be doing the same.”
The Red Cross and neighbors are assisting the family, Channel 2 reported.
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