Man, great grandson killed in Rocky Mount house fire

A 63-year-old man and his 4-year-old great grandson were killed late Monday when a house on Springfield Road in Rocky Mount caught fire, officials said.
Posted 8/19/2014, 4:47:40 PM Updated 9/23/2025, 7:50:18 PM

HAVE REACTION FROM THE VICTIMS.

>>

ABILL LESLIE.

>> --I AM BILL LESLIE.

>> AND AND I AM MICHELLE MARSH-

-AND I AM MICHELLE MARSH.

>>> THERE WAS A FIRE THAT

STARTED LAST NIGHT AND JULIA

SIMMS IS LIVE WITH MORE, WHAT

HAVE WE LEARNED ABOUT THE

VICTIMS, IF ANYTHING AT THIS

POINT?

>> Reporter: BILL, WE ARE TOLD

THAT ONE OF THE VICTIMS WAS A 4-

YEAR-OLD LITTLE BOY NAMED IO

SAY YEAH CRUZ.

THE OTHER VICTIM, HIS 64 3-0-

YEAR-OLD GREAT GRANDFATHER WHO

ALSO HAPPENED TO BE A PAR

PARAPLEGIC.

WE ARE TOLD THAT THEY WERE

FOUND IN THE BACK OF THE HOUSE,

THE GREAT GRANDFATHER CLUTCHING

THE LITTLE BOY TO HIS CHEST.

NOW, INVESTIGATORS ARE NOT SAY

HOW THIS FIRE STARTED.

THE MAN'S WIFE TOLD US THAT HER

HUSBAND HAD CALLED HER, SHE WAS

NOT HERE AT THE TIME.

HE CALLED HER AND TOLD HER THAT

THE POWER HAD BEEN KNOCKED OUT

BECAUSE OF THE STORMS.

HE SAID THAT HE WAS GETTING, OR

NEEDED TO GET CANDLES AND A GAS

CAN TO FIRE UP THE GENERATOR.

SHE SAID THE NEXT CALL SHE GOT

FROM WAS A NEIGHBOR WHO SAID

THEY HAD HEARD AN EXPLOSION AND

TODAY SHE TOLD US, WELL, SHE

LOST HER BEST FRIEND.

>> HE WAS EVERYTHING TO

EVERYBODY.

EVERYBODY WAS HIS FRIEND.

HE DIDN'T HAVE NO ENEMYIES.

>> Reporter: AND AGAIN,

INVESTIGATORS, FIRE

INVESTIGATORS ARE OUT HERE AND

THEY ARE PROBABLY GOING BE OUT

HERE FOR THE BETTER PART OF THE

DAY.

THEY WILL NOT SAY, AGAIN, WHAT

STARTED THE FIRE BUT AROUND THE

BACK OF THE HOUSE THERE IS A

LARGE PROPANE TANK AND A

GENERATOR.

THE BACK PORCH IS BURNT.

THE CAR IS BURNT.

COMPLETELY GUTTED.

AND THE FAMILY, THEY ARE

DEVASTATED, UNDERSTANDABLY SO:

THE GREAT GRANDFATHER AND THE

LITTLE BOY JUST FOUND OUT THAT

THEY WERE RELATED AND THEY WERE

LEAVING TODAY, OR AT LEAST

PLANNING TO LEAVE TODAY ON A

FAMILY TRIP.

>> GUT WRENCHING.

SO HARD TO HEAR THE DETAILS.

© WRAL