SNELLVILLE, Ga. — A family of four, including three children, died in a tragic early morning fire Saturday in Snellville.
Few details were immediately available about the fire, but Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services tweeted that crews responded to a mobile home at the Smoke Creek community at 2:19 a.m.
Gwinnett Fire said "two pediatric patients" were pulled from the home while another pediatric patient and adult were later found inside.
"The family of four have all deceased," the emergency service said.
A neighbor told 11Alive's Maura Sirianni the children were ages 1, 4 and 6, and that the adult was their mother.
A later tweet said: "Fire Investigators are actively trying to determine what caused this early morning blaze in Snellville." A final tweet said firefighters had attempted the rescue through the window in the photo below:
In a release, Gwinnett Fire said that when crews arrived they "found a single-story, mobile home well involved with flames through the roof."
The release said bystanders had already tried to go inside to rescue the family, but "the amount of heat and smoke was too much for them to overcome so they backed out."
The fire department described rescue efforts:
"The crew on the first arriving fire engine advanced a 1 ¾-inch line through the front door to begin attacking the blaze. Simultaneously, firefighters on the second arriving fire engine placed a ground ladder at the window on the left side of the trailer and made their way inside. Personnel rapidly began searching for potential victims. Two pediatrics were located and quickly given to firefighters waiting at the window. The pediatrics were immediately turned over to paramedics but during patient care it was determined that the unconscious children had succumbed to their injuries. Firefighters continued their search inside of the mobile home and were able to locate a 3rd pediatric and an adult female. Unfortunately, it was obvious that they had already deceased."
The investigation remains ongoing, and the department said that the names of the victims and their specific injuries are not being released at this time.
"Firefighters would like to remind families the importance of having working smoke alarms in their homes. Working smoke alarms should be installed on each level of the home," Gwinnett Fire said. "Families should also create a home fire escape plan. A home fire drill should be practiced at least twice a year."
(editor's note: The video below is from an apartment fire in DeKalb County yesterday.)