Man, hospitalized with COVID, learns wife died in house fire

By Terrance Kelly, Rebekka Schramm

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    GWINNETT COUNTY, Georgia (WGCL) — Gwinnett County firefighters are working to determine what caused a fatal house fire early Wednesday morning.

Febe Santos, 41, a mother of four died when she was unable to escape the basement of the home where she had been in quarantine because of COVID, according to family members.

A fire department spokesperson told CBS46, firefighters responded to a call of a house fire on Kennesaw Street in Buford at about 2:45 a.m. When they arrived, flames were coming from the rear of the home.

An adult female and the four children, who range in age from eight to 14, were all able to get out, but Santos was trapped in the basement. As firefighters tried to enter, they realized the floor had collapsed into the basement and the staircase was compromised as well, causing them to have to retreat and fight the fire from the outside, firefighters said.

Joel Banos, a cousin of the victim, told CBS46 he broke the news to Santos’s husband who’s in the hospital recovering from COVID.

“Of course, his heart is breaking,” Banos said, “but he’s strong because he has four kids.”

Banos says family members will care for the children until their father is out of the hospital.

“He’s stable right now,” Banos said, “so we’re hoping for the best.”

Investigators were working to find out what caused the deadly fire. They had not ruled out multiple power sources.

Family members have set up an online fundraiser to help the family pay for funeral expenses.

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