Boy, 9, killed in Christmas Eve house fire in Ohio

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - A 9-year-old boy died in a house fire in Toledo, Ohio, that also destroyed his family’s home in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve.

Toledo Fire and Rescue responded to calls about a home ablaze in West Toledo, Ohio, around 4:30 am Dec. 24. They received reports that several people were trapped inside, according to WTVG.

Upon the arrival of the fire crew, some family members had managed to escape, but the crew searched and found a young boy dead on the second floor of the house. Family members identified the child as 9-year-old Amare Lockett.

The victim was initially reported to have been 11 years old.

Community members say they are devastated that the family lost everything, including a beloved son, just one day before Christmas.

“His brother stood there. He was saying, ‘My brother! My brother!’ But he couldn’t do anything because the fire already spread,” said Dubois Simmons, who lives next door to the family’s home.

Simmons was awakened by the screaming family at the time of the fire.

“Only thing we heard was screaming. My sister woke up and said, ‘Get out the house! Get out the house! It’s a fire,” he said.

According to his neighbors, the 9-year-old was a good and playful child that most of the community knew.

“He was a happy child, running up and down the block. Sometimes if I had candy or money, I’d give all the kids some. But that’s a sad feeling,” Simmons said.

The incident is still under investigation, and the cause of the fire has not been determined.

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