Lafayette Firefighters responded to a house fire early Friday morning. It happened in the 100 block of Hayes Street in Lafayette. Firefighters arrived on the scene shortly before 6 a.m. with heavy flames venting through the roof. Five people lived inside the home. One person was still inside. 

Lafayette fire investigators determined the fire originated in a bedroom. The fire was caused by an electrical short within a connection between an extension cord and an outlet adapter.  The fire was ruled an accident. There were no working smoke alarms in the residence. 

The victim of the fatal fire has been identified as 81-year-old Barbara Ann Andrus. 

Jeff Bourda, the victim’s grandson, lives down the street from the home and described the moment he found out. “It was a horrible sight because you couldn’t see nothing with the fire blocking the house,” said Bourda. 

Bourda was filled with fear. As the fire department began extinguishing the flames, Bourda started looking for all of his family members.

 “I saw my uncle. My uncle was the first person I saw when I walked outside.” He became worried about his mother and the two children that lived there. 

 “I went running to check on her to see how she was feeling. She was burned pretty badly,” he said. His mother was burned trying to save his grandmother from the flames. His mother, uncle and two children made it out safely. Firefighters discovered his grandmother deceased. 

“I feel heartbroken because she was a sweet lady,” Bourda added. 

Neighbors reacted to the fire immediately. Jaylin Dural, junior at Lafayette High School, lives next door. He was getting ready for school when this occurred. 

“All the years I’ve been living on this street, we’ve never seen anything like this,” he said. He was worried about the flames continuing to grow and reach his home. 

 “I was just panicking at that moment so I was getting everyone that I lived with, out of the house,” said Dural. 

The electrical short that caused the fire reminded neighbors how unexpected things can happen. “Anything that you have that’s hazardous or that can catch on flames unplug it. Keep the children away from matches and stuff,” Dural added. 

“It’s going to be a hard loss for everybody to try. Even to try to rebuild everything, but with the grace of God we going to make it,” said Bourda. 

The home sustained heavy fire damage