A small Georgia community is grieving after 10-year-old twins were killed and their mother was hospitalized early Sunday when a fire engulfed the family home in Meriwether County, officials said.
Crews were called around 3 a.m. to the home on Ira Parks Way in Manchester, about 40 miles northeast of Columbus, Manchester fire Chief Ben Williams told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They found heavy flames coming from the residence, where officials said a married couple and their two children, a boy and a girl, lived.
The father, who was not at home, was called about the fire and arrived at the same time as firefighters. He helped crews get his wife and one of the twins out, Williams said. They were both taken to the hospital, where the boy died. The mother remains hospitalized with undisclosed injuries, the chief added.
Amid the chaos, crews eventually located the girl, who was pronounced dead at the scene. On Monday, the twins were identified as Breon and Breonna Childs by the county coroner.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
“It just don’t seem real,” their grandmother, Trudie Childs, told Channel 2 Action News. “They are my two angels. They’re gone, they done left me.”
The deaths also shocked both responding firefighters, neighbors and the small town of Manchester, which is home to less than 5,000 people.
“Been doing this for 30 years,” Williams told the AJC. “It hurts.”
Williams said he spoke to the father and the fire appeared to start in the front of the house, possibly the living room. However, the cause is unclear at this time.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office has been called to investigate, officials added.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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