When they saw flames coming out of a Highland Park home where two children live neighbors rushed to save their lives,
“I looked outside and saw fire… and I started screaming for her,” said Leola Moore, who lives across the street.
Moore was screaming for her 14-year-old niece Aniyah Dent. Her niece ran outside knowing a 12-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl lived in the burning house on Connecticut in Highland Park. It was about 5:00 a.m. Their mom worked the night shift and they were likely inside.
Dent says she heard the girl screaming for help.
“I guess she couldn’t twist the door because her hand was burnt, so I broke the window,” said Dent.
The girl got out and told her her brother was still inside. A man driving by stopped to help.
“I told him her brother is in there. He went in there and was in for a long time,” said Moore. “…but he came out and I was like you get him? Where is he at? He said he didn’t get him. I said you didn’t get him. I said we gotta save him, so I ran back in there.”
The man ran in with her to make sure she was okay. She soon realized why he came out. The smoke was so thick.
Dent says her heart is broken that they could not save Marvin Carter, who brightened up the neighborhood.
“He was a happy overall kid. He was an all-A student. I heard he got a 4.0 this grade marking period and was going to get a lot of good stuff for Christmas,” she said.
“She was over there like that, not even a second thought,” said Moore of her niece. “I am very proud of her. I just hate we couldn’t save him. That is my hurt.”
Highland Park Fire Chief Kevin Coney says investigators found a space heater ignited the fire.
