Toddler Dies in Hart County Fire Sunday

A Hart County toddler is dead, and other family members injured after their house caught fire.

In happened early Sunday morning about 7a at a mobile home on Rocky Ford Road in the Shoal Creek Community of the county.

Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland said the child, identified as Damien Westley Reddick, age two, was in a room built on the back of the mobile home and firefighters were unable to get to the toddler in time. Authorities believe the child died of smoke inhalation, but an autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death. 

Cleveland said the other family members, the parents and two other children, were also injured trying to reach the toddler.

“The rest of the family is at the Augusta Burn Center,” said Hart County Sheriff Mike Cleveland. “The injuries range from smoke inhalation to the mother’s injuries. She has third-degree burns over 40% of her body. It was so tragic; just unreal.”

Glenn Allen, spokesman for the the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner’s office said it appears the blaze may have started with a space heater too close to a bed or furniture.