TOLEDO, Ohio — Family has identified 9-year-old Amare Lockett as the victim in Friday's deadly fire in west Toledo.
It was not the Christmas Eve morning any family should wake up to as neighbors say they began hearing screams coming from the home on the 2000 block of Fernwood Avenue around 4:00 a.m.
"I kept hearing the screams over and over, so I got up," said one neighbor who didn't want to be identified, but says she's lived on the block for over a decade. "It was like a scream like someone was in trouble...like a desperate crying for help scream."
She says the neighborhood sees its share of gunshots and other disturbances, so at first, she didn't think anything of it.
But the screams just kept getting louder.
"They were so intense that I got up and I saw a lot of people on the corner there," she added. "And then about a minute later I saw a lot of smoke behind the red apartment building there and then I saw a lot of flames."
Another neighbor called 911 around 4:30 a.m. and fire crews got to the house quickly, where they found five people outside.
Unfortunately, the 9-year-old boy's body was found upstairs by firefighters.
"That's the worst thing for anybody to die in a house fire, let alone a child," the neighbor said. "That's like your worst nightmare and I feel so bad for the family."
Three of the family members had to be transported to the hospital. Diamond Lockett, Amare's aunt, says everyone is doing okay now with one recovering from some burns.
But she stressed the family lost everything in the fire. The home was a total loss and demolished Friday.
Firefighters reported hearing working smoke alarms in the home. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
There's a GoFundMe posted for anyone that would like to help the family.
The family is also asking for donations of clothing, toiletries and non-perishable items. Lockett says anyone with donations can reach out to her at Marnise1990@gmail.com or text her at 419-508-5652.
