ROME, Ga. — Investigators discovered Thursday that an appliance caused an apartment fire that claimed the life of a 3-year-old boy in Floyd County.
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Koda Sandoval died at the hospital. His 5-year-old sister, Emmy, and mother Lexi Sandoval were also injured in the fire Wednesday.
“Everybody here – its been tough just hearing about it,” said neighbor Matthew Parks.
Parks told Channel 2’s Tyisha Fernandes that many people at the Redmond Chase Apartment Complex were confused when the mother was outside the apartment trying to run in and save her children.
“I saw the smoke coming out of that window. My windows were open and I heard Lexi, who is the mom, screaming, ‘My boy is up there,‘” said neighbor Jeffrey Siegel.
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Rome police say the mother ran downstairs to grab a delivery and left her daughter and son upstairs.
Investigators say it was an accidental fire that was electrical in nature.
A fire investigator says the buildings are up to code, but property managers have signs posted on doors that say “workers will change the air filters and smoke alarm batteries starting on Wednesday.”
Neighbors said they want fire alarms checked to avoid another tragedy.
“So like the day that it happened, so it’s really a tricky situation where I wouldn’t say the inspections weren’t happening – but they were due,” Parks said.
The child’s grandfather, J. Scott Maddox, set up a GoFundMe for people who would like to donate.
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