State Fire Marshal deputies were on the scene of a mobile home fire in New Iberia involving one death Monday morning.
Deputies say the New Iberia Fire Department responded to the 300 block of Deare Street around 5:30 a.m. on December 21.
"5:32 this morning, I called 9-1-1." That was the beginning of a day Marklin Reaux says he'll never forget.
"Whenever I came outside people were saying 'my baby, my baby is stuck in the house. That was my god baby,'" Reaux recalled.
Family members and neighbors scrambled to rescue the 4 year old who was still inside the home, according to the State Fire Marshal's Office. Ultimately Iberia Parish firefighters found her body inside the home.
"Not until the very end, they found the baby," Reaux said.
The state fire marshal's office is looking into what went wrong. They believe it was an accident and shared some useful tips to prevent house fires at this time of year.
"if you're going to use space heaters, make sure that they are three to five feet away from combustible items. If you need to go to bed and you're cold, try to add some more blankets, add some more clothing. Its much safer than going to bed next to a space heater which we advise not to do," Ashley Rodrigue with SFM said.
The fire scene is still active and the investigation is in its early stages.
For now the family involved is staying with a relative and neighbors say they'll need help getting through the holidays.
"They are in need of help, especially this time of year. Everybody's in need. You know, no jobs, nothing like that. Its hard," Reaux said.
We've received some information about the family if you'd like to help them.
There were five children and two adults in the house at the time of the fire. The child who died was a 4-year-old girl. The family needs women sizes 3x top & bottom, elastic pants; women's large top and bottom, XL top and bottom, and 2T or 3T toddler sized clothing. If you need more information or have items to donate, you can call Valencia Charles, a relative, at 337-967-1861.
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