PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — Days after a metro Atlanta mother allegedly stabbed three of her children to death and set the family’s house on fire, first responders are still reeling from the trauma of the gruesome scene.
Some are still struggling to cope.
Emergency crews were called to a home on Woodwind Drive in Paulding County Friday night over reports a woman was trying to stab the people inside the home.
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When first responders got to the scene, they found several of the woman’s seven children with multiple stab wounds. Two of the children, a 9-month-old and a 3-year-old, were pronounced dead at the scene. A 5-year-old child died at the hospital. At least two other children escaped from the burning home unhurt.
The children’s mother, 40-year-old Darlene Brister, was arrested on malice murder and arson charges.
Channel 2′s Elizabeth Rawlins was at the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday, where first responders are still trying to process what they saw.
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Tony Pritchett, the chief investigator for the state’s fire marshal’s office, said his agency was one of several that were called to the scene and that what his crews saw took a toll on them.
“It’s a terrible thing to have to deal with. Even though our folks are seasoned folks and see these types of things all of the time, I don’t think anything really prepares a first responder for what they see,” Pritchett said.
Investigators are still working to determine how and where the fire started, but witnesses said all of the children were trapped upstairs.
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“When you look in that door, the fire was in the stairwell, so you couldn’t go in the front door and go up,” neighbor Willie Hayes said.
Neighbors praised the first responders for their heroic efforts to save the children.
“They are the best around,” Edward Swinger said. “Without them, I don’t know what would have happened.”
Many people have since praised the first responders on social media, recognizing their heroic efforts during a very violent and chaotic situation.
Pritchett said that investigators can now say that the fire at the home was intentionally set.
Brister appeared in court earlier this week, where she was denied bond.
“It’s such a sad situation,” Pritchett said. “Our heart absolutely goes out to the family.”
Pritchett said many of his first responders are back to work, but many agencies are offering counseling services for anyone who may need it.
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