A predawn house fire in the Wylam community of Birmingham, Alabama, on 8th Avenue claimed multiple lives and left investigators searching for answers. The blaze was first reported around 4:30–4:40 a.m. and spread so quickly that firefighters had only a narrow window to rescue residents. Responders pulled three people from the smoke and heat alive—a critically injured child, an infant, and a young woman—and later found a four-year-old dead at the scene.

The critically injured child who was carried out later died; by July 29, 2019, the Jefferson County coroner identified three fatalities connected to the fire, including 3-year-old LaCarter Wade, who died of injuries sustained in the blaze. Officials said investigators believed the fire started toward the back of the home and that the investigation involved Birmingham Fire & Rescue and the ATF. Public updates from the incident described the fire as under investigation, with no suspect publicly named and no arrest announced.

If anyone has information about the Wylam house fire or the family affected, please come forward to help clarify what happened.