Firefighters are crediting the swift action of neighbors after a man and his daughter were pulled from a burning home early Saturday near Riverdale in Clayton County.
The man and woman, who were not identified, were in critical condition at Grady Memorial Hospital. The fire occurred around 1:30 a.m. at a home on Dalmatia Drive near Riverdale.
According to Channel 2 Action News, by the time firefighters arrived, neighbors had a 28-year-old woman with severe burns on the front lawn. Her father, however, was found on the bed in the master bedroom, where he was not breathing. Rescuers were able to revive the man.
Neighbors feared a 5-year-old also was in the home but firefighters later determined the child was with relatives.
“The neighbors gave us information as to where other relatives were and we called and found out the child was not here [at burning house],” Clayton Fire Chief Jacque Felike told Channel 2. “He was spending the night with relatives, so we were very relieved at that.”
The blaze, which has been determined to be accidental, left the interior of the home charred, especially in the kitchen and living room area. The cause of the blaze, however, had not been determined.
Neighbors, which described the community as close-knit, said the family has lived in the area since the 1980s.
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