Almost two fulls days have passed since the house fire in Lima that took the life of a 14-year-old boy and the person who is responsible for the fire is in jail.
A neighbor says the street used to be filled with the sound of kids playing music and hanging out, but the faint noise of a smoke detector coming from the home was the only sound that could be heard on Sunday.
“There was always a lot of activity going on at the house. I do believe just a day or so ago, they had a pizza party out on the front porch. So it was always a hub of activity" says Nathan D. Winters, the neighbor. "The neighborhood is definitely quieter now that they’re not here, hearing the kids laughter and playing their music on the front porch, so it’s a much sadder day in the neighborhood.”
The fire started just after 5:00 am. on Saturday at the two-story duplex located at 124 W. Circular St. Flames shot out of the window as high as 20ft. in the air, and thick smoke filled the street according to Winters.
The name of the teenager killed in the fire has not been released by officials yet, but he and five others were in one side of the duplex when the fire broke out. When fire crews arrived, they found one woman on the roof, while four others were able to escape on their own.
The woman on the roof was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. The teenager was found in the second story of the home and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
“It was a scary experience, you know, to see that. I’ve never seen a fire like that before,” says Winters.
An investigation on the cause of the fire by the Lima fire department led them to believe that the fire started in the empty half of the duplex, and was suspicious in nature. The police interviewed witnesses who say 18-year-old Jervon Fernandez-Wesley set the fire. He was then arrested on Saturday and charged with aggravated arson.
Fernandez-Wesley is in the Allen County Jail and could have a video arraignment in Lima Municipal Court as early as Monday.
