Police Release 911 Calls Of Tragic Malone Family House Fire
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Desperate calls for help. The fear and shock can be heard in the voices of every caller. The calls give a sense of how quickly the fire spread. The merciless fire killed six siblings, destroyed a home and touched hearts around the world.
Now WJZ obtains the 911 calls from the tragic night of January 12.
Operator: "Do you see flames or smoke?
Caller: "It's a flame. It's really burning. The whole house is burning."
Katie Malone and her nine children were trapped inside.
Six of them: Bridgette, Amelia, Billy, Amanda, Zoe, and Daniel, could not escape the flames and smoke consuming their northeast Baltimore home.
Caller: "Springwood Avenue Baltimore, Maryland. It's a fire and it's a big family and they're screaming."
The monstrous blaze igniting some to spring into action.
Caller: "We've got people out here trying to go in the building.
Operator: "Tell them if they come out of the building, please do not go back in."
But neighbors could not get the victims in time.
"I'm really heartbroken because I thought I could do more and I really couldn't," says neighbor Robert Spencer.
In the days that followed the horrific fire, prayers and financial support for Katie Malone, her 3 surviving children and the young victims, poured in from across the lobe.
The mother issued written statements of gratitude, but has yet to speak out publicly on the tragedy. At a viewing ceremony earlier this month, the family expressed appreciation for the generosity.
"It's truly humbling and you truly realize how good people are," says Sandy Ward, the children's grandmother.
A community coming together in the face of inexplicable loss. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Katie Malone is a longtime staffer of congressman Elijah Cummings.
To donate to the Malone Family GoFundMe page CLICK HERE.
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