2-year-old girl dies in house fire in Beech Grove
BEECH GROVE, Ind. (WISH) — A 2-year-old is dead despite her father’s efforts to rescue her from their burning home.
The blaze broke out before 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at a home converted into apartments in the first block of North Sixth Avenue in Beech Grove. Investigators were trying to determine what caused the fire.
The building is made up of four apartments, one vacant.
On one side of a wall, fire was spreading rapidly. On the other side, Victoria Matney washed her dishes. She does not consider herself lucky.
“I could hear through the wall him hollering, ‘What did you do? What did you do?’ And then the next thing I heard he was frantically screaming and hollering, ‘My daughter’s in there. My daughter’s in there.’ There was no way to get in there,” Matney said.
As the 35-year old father screamed, he pulled his 3-year old son from the apartment. He went on for his 2-year old daughter.
“The smoke was horrific. I asked them to get in my apartment and tear down that drywall, maybe that could get them access to her. They couldn’t get in there,” Matney said.
But, that didn’t stop neighbors from trying. Many called 911 while others shattered windows and, despite smoke billowing out, one even tried to go inside.
“We had a civilian that did enter the front door, tried to get in, got 3 feet and was turned back by the intense smoke,” said Indianapolis Fire Department spokeswoman Rita Reith.
By the time firefighters arrived, it was too late. The girl died. Medics rushed her father and brother to Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital in serious condition.
“Everybody is just sad because this happened to a little baby, a little 2-year-old actually,” Matney said.
In addition to that family, police said they rescued two teens and their dad from the roof. Authorities by Wednesday afternoon had not released the name of the girl or anyone else injured or rescued in the fire.
As for Matney, she made it out without assistance. But, that doesn’t mean she made it out unscathed.
“It’s hard. It’s not even my family, but it feels like it cause it’s a child. Innocent child,” Matney said.