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Family, friends to gather to honor young boy killed in Shelby house fire

By Ken Lemon, wsoctv.com
By Ken Lemon, wsoctv.com

SHELBY, N.C. — Loved ones will gather Monday evening for a vigil in honor of a Shelby boy who died in a house fire last week.

Three children were home alone and sleeping when the fire started.

A neighbor rushed to save all of them, but 8-yera-old Jaylin Payne died.

The other children survived, but 5-year-old Rodriguez Moore has severe Burns.

[ALSO READ: Dog rescue owner says deadly fire could've been much worse]

Monday's vigil will be at 5 near the family's home.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the deadly fire.

Channel 9 spoke with Laura Moore last Tuesday morning, hours after the flames broke out inside her Lineberger Street home.

She said a neighbor wanted an old couch that she had, so she waited until her two youngest boys -- 8-year-old Jaylin Payne and 5-year-old Rodriguez Moore -- were asleep before having her oldest son help her move it across the street.

Rodriguez Moore and Jaylin Payne

(Rodriguez Moore and Jaylin Payne)

Moore said she left her 13-year-old daughter to watch Jaylin and Rodriguez, but that a short time later, around 1 a.m., her daughter came running over to the neighbor’s house yelling that there was a fire.

[Investigators: Fire that spread to several homes, displaced 2 families started in garage]

She said her neighbor’s husband, Joseph Hill, was able to run through the front door of the burning home, crawl under the flames and grab Rodriguez off the couch. He was able to get the boy out alive, but the child suffered severe burns.

Rodriguez was transported to a burn center in Winston-Salem with burns on more than 50 percent of his body and also suffering from smoke inhalation but is expected to recover.

Laura Moore said Jaylin was asleep in a room closest to where the fire started, and before Hill could make it through the door, the ceiling caved in.

"I probably made it about 5 feet from his doorway before the ceiling fell," said Hill.

[RELATED: Man saves employee from fire at popular Charlotte restaurant]

Hill believes a couple more minutes is all he would have needed to rescue Jaylin, who did not survive the fire.

"I just needed about two more minutes and I could have got to him," said Hill.

The mother of four told Channel 9 that Hill is her hero and she's thankful that he was able to save one of her children.

"I can't tell him thank you enough. I know that one of my kids didn't make it, but at least I have three of them to live for," said Moore.

The mother is now working to raise money to bury her son and hoping no mother has to ever go through what she's experiencing.

"Please let everybody know that this can happen to anybody and their life is precious and value it every day," said Moore.

Fire officials have not yet said what started the blaze, but Moore told Channel she believes it was caused by an electrical problem.

Check back with wsoctv.com for updates on this story.

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