TEMPE, AZ — Tempe police say a 9-year-old boy has died from injuries suffered during a second-alarm fire at a duplex in Tempe Wednesday afternoon.
Firefighters say the incident happened at a home near Scottsdale and Curry roads around 2 p.m. The young boy was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but police say he did not survive.
The fire spread to two duplexes, a total of four homes, displacing all of the residents.
Alyson Star heard an explosion just a few feet away. "It just sounded like one loud boom. I don't know how else to say it, like something exploded," says Star.
Star was standing in the backyard at the time, everything happening in front of her eyes.
"Black smoke and just flames higher than the smoke. It was intense. I mean, you could tell it was intense. It was burning very, very quickly," says Star.
Neighbors captured the fire on cell phone video.
Some neighbors did not realize anyone was home at the time.
"Had we known, we might have... I don't know if we could have gotten in and done anything, but we could have made an attempt to. Especially a child, it's heartbreaking," says Star.
Another neighbor tells ABC15 she knows the family. Her son has played with the 9-year-old boy on several occasions, saying he was always happy, calm and content.
Star she says she's thankful that firefighters came as quickly as they could. "My heart was beating so fast. I was shaking," says Star.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The family has set up a GoFundMe to raise funds following the tragic death of 9-year-old Jesus Garcia.
