A father and his 6-year-old son were severely burned while escaping a massive blaze at their south Cobb County home Sunday night.
The father ran inside to rescue his son, and both made it out after the home in the 4200 block of Hasty Lane in Austell exploded around 9 p.m., a fire official at the scene told Channel 2 Action News. They are being treated in the burn unit of a hospital Monday.
The residence was reduced to charred rubble.
Naomi Calderon, who lives two blocks away, told Channel 2 she heard a loud explosion before she felt a violent shaking.
“I heard some big thump, I didn’t know what it was, but it shook the entire house. The floor shook,” she said. “I was just terrified. I had no idea what it could be.”
Officials have not said what started the fire or caused the house to explode. Seconds later, Nina Ballard said the man was at her door seeking help.
While a Cobb County fire spokeswoman said the extent of their burns were unknown, Ballard said “their skin was blown off their bodies, the baby’s face. The dad didn’t realize he was burned because he was literally sitting there in shock.”
A GoFundMe page created to help the family identified the 6-year-old as Joshua Mark and his father as John Mark. The page said they fell through the ground as the home went up in flames.
Credit: GoFundMe
Credit: GoFundMe
The two remain in serious condition.
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