Little Girl Recovering After Trapped in Burning NoDa Home

CHARLOTTE, NC — A mother is sending a warning after her seven-year-old became trapped in their burning home Monday morning.

Katlyn Cook has second and third-degree burns from her head to her knees.

“I just heard her screaming, ‘Mommy!’, and When I looked up, I saw the fire under the door,” said Rajeeni Cook.

The mother says she woke up to the flames at two in the morning.

Her little girl was trapped behind her bedroom door.

“I kept bumping against the door, trying to get in to save her, to get her, and I couldn’t get the door,” said Cook.

The smoke and flames were so intense, family and neighbors say they were helpless.

“It happened so quick, nobody could even think or even know what to do,” said one neighbor, Scott Stewart.

At the same time, Charlotte firefighters were passing the Twin Oaks Apartments in NoDa, noticed the flames and rushed in to rescue Katlyn.

“She was on fire,” said Stewart. “They picked her up and laid her on the ground.”

Now, her mother says Katlyn is on a breathing machine and will undergo surgeries once the burns begin to heal.

“Hope that she gets well, you know?” said Renee Bridges. “It’s a tragedy.”

Neighbors were in tears as they dropped off balloons at the burned out home Monday evening to honor the little girl.

“She’s a sweet girl. She came to my house all the time,” said April Smith. “We just care a lot about her.”

“We just want to thank everyone for their support,” said Cook.

The family wants you to know that they did not have working smoke detectors. A harsh reminder that seconds could make a difference.

They did not have insurance.

Neighbors set up this Go Fund Me account to help with medical expenses and housing