PALM BAY, Fla. — A Palm Bay neighborhood is grieving after a devastating early-morning house fire on Janus Road claimed the lives of a grandmother and her 10-year-old grandson.
“A lot of people just came out and were standing,” said neighbor Maurine Bell. She added, “Everybody knew who these people were. It was really sad.”
Bell remembers the young boy as someone who always stopped to chat.
Palm Bay Fire Rescue responded within minutes of the first 911 call, but crews were met with intense flames when they arrived.
According to Assistant Fire Chief John Ringleb, the roof of the home was nearly gone by the time firefighters reached the scene. They were told that two people were still trapped inside.
“So, with heavy fire conditions, the crew still tried to do a rescue, go into rescue mode to see if they could get some sort of effective rescue to those who were still inside the home. Unfortunately, with the heavy, heavy fire, that was meeting them.
And it was really, really difficult for them to accomplish their tasks,” Ringleb said.
But the fire was too intense, forcing crews to pull back. One woman was able to escape the home. The grandmother and her grandson did not survive.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office is now investigating what caused the fire. Officials say, at this point, it does not appear to be suspicious.
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