LOGANVILLE, Ga. — The death of a 10-year-old girl in a Loganville house fire is now being investigated as a homicide, the Gwinnett County Police Department said. According to police, the fire was intentionally set by a sibling of the deceased.
A 15-year-old was taken into custody Sunday evening after his sister died in the house fire. Gwinnett County Police said charges are pending.
Gwinnett County firefighters responded just before 5 a.m. to a home along the 4400 block of Beaver Road.
Crews initially believed the teenager was unaccounted for and the search continued for hours through the rubble.
Gwinnett fire spokesman Lt. Justin Wilson said there was one adult inside and four kids at the time of the fire, Wilson said. Two cats also died and two dogs got out alive.
"Efforts continued for the next couple hours to sift through debris to locate the 15-year-old male that was believed to be inside, Wilson said. "Around 9 a.m., the 15-year-old was located away from the scene and appeared to be okay."
Investigators said the fire was set on purpose by that teen, and a neighbor told 11Alive's Dawn White they saw arson dogs out sniffing around the home where the little girl lost her life.
“I woke up and I just glanced out my window, and I saw lights shining," Mike Kilgore said.
Kilgore woke up to see dozens of emergency crews across the street Sunday morning along Beaver Street in Loganville.
“I looked outside and there was police, ambulance, fire trucks, you know, a good quarter of a mile long," Kilgore said.
Five children and two adults lived in the home, police said.
“As for the community, there's no threat to any public right now. We don't believe that there's going to be a serial arson issue. We believe that this was an isolated incident," said Christian D'Allaird, an investigator with the Gwinnett County Police Department.
Investigators said they found the girl dead inside a bedroom with no windows.
“How can one kid take another kid’s life, especially when it’s your own brother or sister?” Kilgore said.
He said the family lived at the home for 25 years, but he only talked to them twice. He believes the children were homeschooled.
“I’m praying for them. If they need anything, I’m across the street, so I can help them anyway. I’ll try to. It’s sad, you know? Very sad," Kilgore said.
“It’s an incredibly heartbreaking story, especially with it being Easter Sunday," D'Allaird said. "This is not the kind of event we want to happen at all to any members of our community.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation and the single-story home is considered to be a total loss. According to a family member, smoke alarms are installed in the home, but they did not activate.
"I can't even begin to imagine. It's very difficult to go through this," an emotional Wilson said.