Milwaukee mother says 4-year-old son who died in house fire was 'always happy'
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Milwaukee mother is grieving after her son died in a fire over the weekend.
"My son was happy. He told me every day, 'momma I love you,'" Stacy Watson said outside her home on N. 84th St. on Monday.
Family and friends gathered in front of the home to light candles and release balloons in honor of the little boy who Watson says was always by her side.
Watson said she was home Sunday afternoon when she heard a boom. She quickly gathered her children to safety, but her 4-year-old son Ja-Rome had gone upstairs earlier without her realizing it.
Watson went back to try to save him, but the flames were too intense.
"As a mother, it hurts to lose a child. As a mother, when you can't help your child, it hurts. I mean when I opened that room door it hurt me to the core because I knew I couldn't get my son out. I knew that I wasn't going to ever see my son alive again," she said.
Several neighbors went back into the home to try to save the little boy. First responders were able to get him out of the home, and he was transported to Children's Wisconsin, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Watson and several neighbors believe the cause of the fire was an electrical issue, but the fire department was unable to confirm or deny those claims. Milwaukee police said the cause of the fire is not suspicious.
The family has started a GoFundMe to help not only with the funeral costs, but also help Watson and her surviving five children.