PLATTE WOODS, Mo. — Adrianna Achens lost her best friend, and a neighborhood lost a child they had all grown to love.
“He was my best friend,” said Achens, who was close with one of the victims of Wednesday's house fire in the 7200 block of North Avalon Street.
The fire broke out shortly before 11 a.m.,leaving neighbors feeling helpless as they watched the flames engulf the family’s home.
“I just heard loud pops and yells ,and I saw smoke coming out of the house, and I went over there wondering if I can do anything before – the fire trucks haven’t even gotten here yet and there was a lot of screaming for the kids that were inside,” Tricia Davis, a neighbor, said.
Those screams Davis heard also left her husband, Jeremiah Davis, shaken.
“Chase's dad screaming, 'Chase,' over and over in the front yard, and just the knowledge you can’t do anything," Jeremiah Davis said. "You just stand there with the firefighters there and just that gut wrenching dad cry if your son is there, and you can’t do anything about it."
But the close-knit community came together in prayer Wednesday night, leaning on one another in a dark hour.
“My heart is broken," said Rachel Willard, Achens' grandmother. "I’ve been talking to Chase’s mom because I texted her to find out if she knew what was going on. That's how I found out about Chase and the other boy."
Now, all they can do is work together to keep the memory alive of a neighbor and friend.
“He was extremely funny, and it was a lot of fun to hang out with him,” Achens said.
Similarly, Willard said they were a good family.
“Now our hearts are broken, and we feel real bad for them,” Willard said.
