Deadly fire in Atmore overnight

ATMORE, Ala. (WALA) - A house fire claimed the life of an Atmore girl.

The blaze happened on Beck Street just after 11 p.m. Tuesday night. Neighbors who tried to rescue Nyamiah Weeks from the fire spoke to FOX10 today.

Yellow tape surrounds the home in Atmore and the scent of smoke lingered in the air hours after fire claimed the life of the 11-year-old girl.

Jackie Watson lives next door and said she heard someone screaming that the kitchen was on fire.

"I thought it was my kitchen so I ran to the front of my house and checked," said Watson.

Watson said he saw no fire, so she went outside and found her neighbor who told her to call the fire department. She did.

"Then I ran over to Mrs. Ingal's house so she could call for more help. Then all of us ran over there to try and get the baby out," said Watson.

They didn't reach her in time. Watson said she and her husband called for the little girl but could not find her.

"She wasn’t but 11. We didn't hear no hollering or nothing. We beat on the windows and doors," said a tearful Watson.

Watson said the smoke was thick and the house was fully engulfed in flames.

Nearby residents tell a similar tale of heavy, smoke-filled clouds and lots of emergency vehicles on the scene. Four firefighters and a police officer were also injured in the fire but no cause has been discovered yet.

Regardless of the cause of the fire, the consequences are obvious.

Sierra America and Nyamiah were friends. America found out this morning her friend did not survive the fire.

"I felt really, really sad," said America. "It was big clouds of smoke. Huge. Really, really scary.".

Friends of the family set up a benefit account at Regions in Nyamiah's name.