Neighbors want burnt-out home where fatal fire took place torn down

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Residents in a Gwinnett County neighborhood where a fire killed a mother and two children three months ago are calling for the burned-out structure to come down.

Channel 2’s Tony Thomas has been looking into who must decide when demolition begins.

He learned the decision rests with homeowner Brent Patterson.

As the investigation continues, what's left of the home still stands. Neighbors told Thomas they worry about what they're breathing and what their children are thinking every time they pass by.

“When you do see it, you think of what happened. It's not a good feeling,” neighbor Aurelo Martinez told Thomas.

READ: DA investigating man's story of fire that killed wife, daughters

The memorial of teddy bears, candles and balloons in front of the home along Pointer Ridge in Tucker is gone, but the burned wood and the pain that it represents still lingers. %

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“Every time I see the house, I remember that. I remember the fire. I remember the family. It's sad,” Martinez said.

On Feb. 9, flames ripped through the two-story house, trapping Kathy Patterson and her two daughters upstairs. All three died.

Husband and father Brent Patterson was the only one to escape.

Authorities continue to investigate his actions and what caused the fire.

Days after the fire, a security fence went up but nothing else appears to have been done at the site for several weeks.

“When you remember, you feel sad,” Martinez said.

Gwinnett County firefighters say their on-scene investigation has been complete for weeks and they've given the OK for this structure to come down.

READ: Investigators return to scene of fire that killed mother, 2 daughters

Thomas contacted Patterson’s insurance company, which told him it also is not restricting the property from demolition.

“All around us, it feels, like, sad and thinking about this neighborhood -- how it's changed,” Martinez said.

Gwinnett County Fire Chief Casey Snyder and his investigators say it could be mid-summer before any conclusions are reached in what caused the fire.

“How close to having the answers do you believe your team is?” Thomas asked Snyder.

“It's hard to say,” Snyder said. “Certainly Mr. Patterson has a voice in this, but we also have three other people who don't have a voice in this and it is very important for us to find out the facts.”

Those facts include the toxicology reports which investigators received some results back on within the past few days.

A final report is still forthcoming.

Investigators are also waiting for lab tests to be completed on items taken from the home during the search of the structure days after the fire.

Everything from heating and air vents, to pieces of wood were removed.

Cox Media Group