CHAMBLEE, Ga. — A family is devastated after flames engulfed their Chamblee home – killing their 28-year-old son.
The family said their son Joel Price died in the fire on London Road in Chamblee Sunday night. Joel's father, Rod Price, and two of his sisters are still in the hospital.
Over the years, the Price family said they have fostered more than 50 children, adopted 13 and had eight of their own – six adult children still lived inside the home and were at home when the fire broke out.
Joel's mother, Linda Price, had just gotten back to town after visiting her own mother who is dying and receiving end-of-life care. She was waiting for Rod to pick her up at the MARTA station. But he never came.
"It was a miraculous thing that my car wouldn’t start," Linda said. "So, he (Rod) went over to move his truck to charge my van and he looked up and the back bedroom was on fire. And that’s why he went back into the house."
Two of their daughters immediately started rescuing the others.
"My daughter Renee, which everyone has discounted - and Nikki my Down syndrome daughter lifted Annie from her bed to the floor," Linda said.
Renee ended up with burns all over her back but didn't stop until the house was fully engulfed.
Rod ran in and out of the house helping save others until he was struck down by debris.
"And he couldn’t get back up, couldn’t stand back up when they came in he said, 'Go get Joel! Go get Joel!'... But when they took Joel out, he was already gone," Linda said.
Joel was on a lower level, bedbound and on oxygen.
“I was kind of hoping he’d been on a vent or hanging on by a thread so I could at least hug him one more time and say goodbye- they told me he’s been burned so badly-- he was gone," Linda said.
Linda added her daughters are heroes. She's now counting on her faith to help get her through, as her husband and some of her children are being treated for burns.
"To have lost my house and my son and have my husband so burned at the hospital," Linda said. "It’s a lot, it’s a lot."
The Price family now needs to plan their son's funeral, replace medical equipment and find a home that is handicapped accessible. If you want to help, there is a fundraiser online here.