A family is grieving after a toddler died and his parents were injured following a house fire Monday in Northwest Indiana.
The blaze broke out at a home in the 900 block of Cornwallis Lane in Munster just before 11 a.m. Monday morning, officials said.
According to authorities, a three-year-old boy died in the blaze, and both his parents were hospitalized with smoke inhalation.
Witnesses reported that the toddler's father tried unsuccessfully save him.
“I saw him bolting out of the garage and he fell on the driveway right in front of me. He was covered in ash," neighbor Robert Wojtowich told NBC Chicago. “It makes me wanna cry. I just cannot believe he’s gone.”
Another neighbor, Kim Mullens, said that the young boy, whom some called "Mackie," was a ray of sunshine in their lives.
“He was very special. He was such an adorable little boy," she said. "He called me Gammy!”
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Mullens' townhome was connected to that of the victims in the fire, and she too witnessed the boy's father trying to save his son.
“I got goosebumps and my hair is standing up. I’m kind of numb," she said.
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Mullens says her pets were saved by firefighters, and while her residence sustained heavy damage, she knows that another family is now left devastated by grief.
“When I heard about Mackie, my problems are nothing compared to theirs. Nothing," she said. "God, my heart goes out to them."
The identity of the child has not yet been released, and an investigation remains underway.
