Five people were forced out of their home Sunday night when a bed in the house caught fire, according to officials with Barrow County Emergency Services.
Firefighters were called just after 10 p.m. to a home on 8th Street in Statham.
Initially, firefighters thought an elderly occupant in a wheelchair was still in the house, but when they arrived, they found all five occupants had escaped the burning home.
The adult residents of the home told authorities that two children were asleep in a bed with a radiant heater close by. The heater sparked the fire, according to fire officials. They said the smoke from the fire awakened the two children - ages 7 and 8 - who were in the bed.
There were no working smoke detectors found in the residence.
"We continue to encounter structure fires without smoke detectors installed. We urge all residents to have working smoke detectors in the house, including bedrooms. Mattress fires burn very quickly and very hot. These two children are extremely lucky to have woken up in time to escape the fire,” said Steve Rose, Assistant Public Information Officer for Barrow County Emergency Services.
Rose said the room of fire origin was a total loss, but much of the home was saved. Other parts of the home received smoke and water damage.
The American Red Cross was called to assist the three adults and two children who lived at the residence.
