*UPDATE* (June 29th, 11:00 AM) Camden home destroyed by fire (more photos & info)

The liquefied remains of a Fisher Price scooter…

It was the only sign that a child had even been there. Question was, as Camden Volunteer Firefighters arrived at 116 Morgan Road at approximately 8:50 p.m. Monday night: where WAS the child?

Where was the homeowner? How did this happen? And how could the flames grow so large, so destructive, in such a short amount of time?

Hysterical neighbors rushed towards the blazing inferno, only to find that their neighbor, her house, and her baby…were long, long gone. The flames reached higher than the omnipotent pines, which blackened the moonlight and held the thick, pluming smoke hostage over the wooded neighborhood.

One woman claiming to be the homeowner’s sister seemed particularly distressed. She took this writer by the shoulders and said, “that’s my sister’s house! thats my sister’s house! Please somebody go get her!”

As the fire was being extinguished, Camden volunteer firefighters and rescue personnel concluded that the flames started in the back of the home. There were no propane tanks or gas lines. After a thorough search of the home’s charred remains, first responders confirmed that, thankfully, there were no bodies inside…

*UPDATE*

(Tuesday, June 28th, 3:16 p.m.)

We are happy to report that Tysha Smith, the homeowner, and her daughter were quickly and discreetly taken away by ambulance to the hospital before volunteer firefighters arrived on the scene.

Shamberike Irby, Tanya Higginbottom, and Erica Westry of Camden…

pause for a celebratory photo shoot after learning their neighbors were safe and sound.

They were concerned, however, about why their power had to be cut off.

and these kiddos…

…were just happy to be in the newspaper.

Angelina Woods, Aliyah Woods, and Jake Woods

(UPDATE) June 29th, 10:54 AM

We’ve come to learn that somebody had originally called 911 in reference to the fire at  6:30 p.m., but because firefighters were all attending a scheduled monthly meeting, they were not informed until after 8:00 pm. Neither Tyisha nor her daughter suffered any serious injuries.

The fire was a spontaneous accident. Sources say that Tyisha did not have home insurance.