The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
(TNS)
A small Georgia community is grieving after 10-year-old twins were killed and their mother was hospitalized early Sunday when a fire engulfed a family home in Meriwether County, officials said.
Fire crews were called around 3 a.m. to the home on Ira Parks Way in Manchester, about 40 miles northeast of Columbus, Manchester fire Chief Ben Williams told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Crews arrived to find heavy flames coming from the residence, where officials said a married couple and their two children, a boy and a girl, lived.
The father, who was not home, was called about the fire and arrived at the same time as firefighters. He helped crews get his wife and one of the twins out, Williams said. They were both taken to the hospital, where the boy died. The mother remains hospitalized with unknown injuries, the chief added.
Amid the chaos, crews eventually located the girl, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The identities of the victims were not released.
The deaths shocked both responding firefighters, neighbors and the small town of Manchester, which is home to less than 5,000 people.
“Been doing this for 30 years,” Williams told the AJC. “It hurts.”
Williams said he spoke to the father and the fire appeared to start in the front of the house, possibly the living room. However, the cause is unclear at this time.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office has been called to investigate, officials added.
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