Bedford FD photo

Bedford County’s fire marshal says it is too early to determine what started this morning’s fire that killed a four-year-old girl, but they know the fatal blaze began in the back of the house near Bedford Middle School. There were eight people in the home — two adults and six children ranging from five months to 17 years old. Firefighters rescued four of them, but the young victim died on the way to the hospital. Fire officials say one adult male was airlifted to Wake Forest Medical Center.

(Continue reading for the Town of Bedford news release.)

At approximately 4:53am the Bedford Fire Department was dispatched to 708 Grove Street for a reported house on fire.  The first unit arrived at 4:57 a.m. to find a two-story private dwelling with heavy smoke in the area. Several of the occupants had already safely exited the structure but reported multiple people trapped.  Firefighters pulled two unconscious victims outside to safety within minutes of arriving.  A third victim was located in a second-story bedroom and was brought down via ground ladder and handed off to awaiting EMS.  Two children were transported by ground to area hospitals; an adult male was flown to Wake Forest Medical Center, and one child, a 4 year old female, was fatally injured.  A total of two adults and six children occupied the home.  The fire is being investigated by the Bedford County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Town of Bedford Police.