A Georgia girl is hailed a hero after she died trying to rescue her beloved dog from a house fire Saturday afternoon.
Katelynn Simond, 11, and her puppy Little Man were tragically killed despite the brave girl’s attempt to save the dog from the blaze that broke out at their Sidney Drive home.
“She was worried about her dog upstairs, and she ran upstairs,” step-uncle Charles Beecher said.
“Katelynn, she’s like us, an animal lover. She went upstairs and got that puppy.”
Spalding County Fire Chief Mike Byrd said the fire was reported at around 5:30 p.m. when it was “very well advanced.”
“It was visible from over a mile away,” Byrd said adding that firefighters learned someone was trapped upstairs.
“Her step-dad and her step-uncle tried to go in after her and to no success. They couldn’t get in,” Katelynn’s step-aunt said.
“The family is struggling right now. They’re going through a hard time.”
No foul play was suspected in the deadly blaze that also wounded a firefighter.
“It’s hard knowing I am not going to be able to see her again. It’s rough. I mean, 11 years old. Her life was just taken too early,” said Beecher.
