A woman and baby have been found dead after a fire in Daytona Beach early Tuesday.
Daytona Beach fire officials say they were called to the 1200 block of Beville Road around midnight at Countryside Apartment complex.
WESH got a hold of the 911 calls from that night, and in them, you can hear neighbors frantically knocking on doors, trying to get anyone to come out.
“Anybody home?” one caller said. “Please come out. There’s a fire.”
The caller knocked and repeated the same thing again.
Another caller went to adjoining units to warn other residents the fire might spread into their home.
A mother and her 1-year-old baby were pronounced dead. Officials initially said the child was 1 month old but later corrected.
The deaths shocked people living in the complex.
“We didn’t actually find out about the extent of the tragedy until we watched the news,” resident Janet Jones said.
Another resident, Samantha Stewart, said, “I did not expect that. Like at all. I just thought it was maybe an accident.”
tewart was one of the 911 callers who tried to alert others in the complex to the fire.
“I’m glad I was able to be there, but it’s just really hard,” Stewart said. “I feel really bad for the baby and the mom.”
A 4-year-old and a 5-year-old survived but are in critical condition.
Investigators say there were two points of origin for the fire, and it is being investigated as a homicide after the mom was found with several stab wounds.
One neighbor witnessed the frantic cries of the family when they found out.
“That was when I assume the family got here, and I heard the screams,” Janet Jones said. “They’ll never have another good Thanksgiving or Christmas, the family, it’ll be ruined forever. Tragic. It is tragic.”
A firefighter was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.
Police have not yet revealed the identity of the victims.
“The next of kin has yet to be identified, so I can’t give you any specifics as far as names,” Chief Jakari Young said. “This is a horrific incident; we are two days out from a holiday that centers around family.”
Young said after the medical examiner arrived on scene, they were able to determine that the mother had been stabbed multiple times.
Officials said more information would be forthcoming.
Daytona Beach Fire Department said some nearby units sustained smoke damage. The unit where the fire happened was totaled.
Police have yet to say whether they have any leads on the suspect.
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Source: Wesh
