A 3-year-old boy who was rescued by his father in a house fire in Pennsylvania has died after he followed his dad back inside the house when he went to save his wife and other children.
The fire, which began late Monday night, ignited after a candle that had been lit during a power outage got knocked over and caused the couch to catch fire. Terry Thomas moved quickly, carrying his 3-year-old son Layden outside, where he "put him on the porch, and went back in for the mother, an infant and a 5-year-old," Lt. Mark Johnson told WTAE.
The rest of the family, which includes Layden's mother, Brittany Smith, and two other children, made it out safely. Layden was later discovered under a bed and is thought to have died from smoke inhalation.
"I was outside with my newborn baby and my oldest daughter, and she was running across to the neighbor's house, and Layden was right by my feet, and I'm trying to call the police while I take care of them, and I just glanced away for a second and he ran back in the house," Smith told WTAE.
With such a tragedy, the family remains heartbroken and shocked. "It's unimaginable...I did my best. I got him to safety," Thomas told KDKA. "I've seen things happen, but I never thought it'd hit this close to home."
While the family grapples with what happened to little Layden, both Smith and Thomas think of their son with only the fondest of memories. Describing him as a "loving, kind" boy, Thomas said the entire family is devastated by their heartbreaking loss.
"He loved his mom and dad, his nana, his sisters. He loved us all," Thomas said.
Layden's great-grandfather, Dale Bika, said his wife has taken the news the hardest. "Layden was just a sweet little baby, that's all. He was wonderful. He was my buddy," said Bika.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Layden's family.
Watch the video below to see who else we've lost in 2015.