Mother of 4 killed in Gwinnett County house fire

The Gwinnett County Fire Department is investigating a deadly house fire that killed a mother Wednesday morning.

The fire broke out at a home off Kennesaw Street NE in Buford sometime before 3 a.m. Lt. Donald Strother said flames were still shooting from the side of the house when crews arrived.

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Firefighters found the woman’s body in the basement.

Family members told Channel 2 Action News that the woman was quarantining in the basement because her husband was in the hospital battling COVID-19. A babysitter was able to get all four children out but could not reach the victim, 41-year-old Febe Santos, in the basement.

“I heard screaming and windows crashing,” witness Ryan Stalcup said. “They just started yelling, ‘Somebody’s in there! Somebody’s in there.’”

Firefighters said flames were shooting out of the building when they arrived.

“We requested additional support to come fight the fire while we put rescue operations into play,” Strother said. “Unfortunately, the fire had a significant head start. We were limited with how far we could get into the home. The floor collapsed onto the basement.”

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Investigators are still working to learn what caused the fire.

A GoFundMe account has been setup to help the family. Relatives say the children range in age from 7 to 15-years-old.