JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News has learned that a child was left inside a metro Atlanta daycare during a fire evacuation this week.
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Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln was at the O2B Kids daycare in Johns Creek Friday, where parents said that while they were notified about the fire, they were not told about a child being left behind.
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Johns Creek fire confirmed that they responded to reports of a fire on Tuesday. A small kitchen fire sparked after a box was left on the stove.
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After the building was evacuated, an employee who also had a student at the facility realized their child was not outside.
“The cook went in to get the child,” fire officials said. The employee found the child napping in a corner.
Lincoln spoke to school officials, who said that while they did notify the parents of the child directly involved in the incident, their policy doesn’t require them to alert other parents about it.
They said the noticed the child was missing during a roll call after the evacuation.
Officials said that since this incident, they’ve had multiple fire drill training sessions with employees to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Still, some parents Lincoln spoke to were upset. One parent who didn’t want to be identified said she wasn’t told about the child being left behind.
“It’s almost disheartening,” she said.
The child involved in the incident was not hurt. The state sets fire protocol daycares should follow, including that they must conduct fire drills monthly. It’s also required to document the drills for two years.
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