Courier-Journal / Utterback
AN EARLY-MORNING FIRE ON CHRISTMAS DAY took the lives of two grandchildren ages 10 and 12. The grandparents’ home was a large house in the Louisville, Kentucky, suburbs protected by the Harrod’s Creek FD under the leadership of Chief Chris Aponte. The alarm was transmitted at 4:30 am from an automatic alarm system in the house, and when the first units arrived they found fire through the roof at the rear of the building as well as coming out the front door.
The five adults that were staying in the house were outside but were attempting to get back into the house to rescue the two children. “Whenever there are lives involved, it changes the dynamic” at a fire scene, Chief Aponte told the Louisville Courier-Journal. “The guys worked hard to do what they could. We had some experienced firefighters on the scene and they couldn’t make headway in it.”
The adults were all sleeping on the first floor and basement, but the two boys who perished were in a 2nd-floor bedroom.
WLKY-TV Louisville has this video report from the fire scene:
The house was mostly destroyed in the blaze and later yesterday afternoon the gutted section collapsed into the basement. The Courier-Journal continues:
Aponte said 45 firefighters from four departments fought the blaze — Lyndon, Worthington and St. Matthews, in addition to Harrods Creek.
He said the two victims were around the ages of two of his children, and many of the firefighters on the scene had children of their own at home.
“My family and I all had a big hug together” when he finally arrived home, he said. “But the images that we added to the photo album in our minds today will be something we won’t ever forget.”
Read the full story with additional photos HERE.
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