LAFAYETTE PARISH — LAFAYETTE, La. — Two children are recovering after firefighters rescued them from a burning apartment Monday afternoon, a fire that displaced two families and destroyed two units at the Himbola Manor Apartment Complex.
According to the Lafayette Fire Department, crews responded to the apartment complex after neighbors reported that two children were still inside the building.
Firefighters said a 5-year-old girl and her 14-year-old brother were trapped in a back bedroom when crews arrived. After quickly knocking down the flames, firefighters located both children, rescued them and immediately began providing medical care before they were transported to a hospital.
Officials said the fire department arrived on scene within four minutes of receiving the call and completed the search for the children within one minute.
Family friend Akheem Keal said she rushed toward the apartment as soon as she realized where the fire trucks were headed.
"I just ran up. I thought I could go up in there and save the baby and them," Keal said. "They couldn't get out through the windows, and the fire spread so quickly in the front." Keal said watching the family's ordeal unfold was heartbreaking.
"That's a different kind of hurt," she said. "I don't wish that on no mother. Nobody deserves to go through this." Investigators determined the fire started on a sofa inside the family's living room. The Lafayette Fire Department said investigators believe the 5-year-old may have been playing with a cigarette lighter, which they said was the only potential ignition source they could not eliminate during the investigation. Officials stressed that the investigation remains ongoing.
The apartment where the family lived, along with the unit above it, sustained significant fire and smoke damage. A woman living in the upstairs apartment suffered minor burns while escaping with her baby.
In all, two mothers and three children were displaced by the fire. The Lafayette Fire Department said the family has been connected with the American Red Cross for emergency assistance.
Friend Dewanda Keal said the family now needs the community's support as they begin rebuilding.
"We are a community and I think we all should get together and do something nice for her," Keal said. "She's a hardworking mom... trying to make ends meet for her kids."
While the family works to recover from the fire, relatives are also caring for the kitten that survived the blaze alongside them.
