Son of woman who died in DeKalb fire says her faith is getting family through the tragedy

Neighbors held a vigil Wednesday night to remember a woman who died in a townhome fire in DeKalb County.

The victim’s son told Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes the faith his mother shared with him is what’s getting him through the tragedy.

“I just want them to know she wouldn’t want them to be sad. She would want them to be happy and joyous as she was through her life,” Darius Horton said.

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Horton said he grew up full of faith and joy because that is what his mother, Gajuan Sanders, was all about.

Sanders died Monday when the townhome she shared with her brother caught on fire.

Friends remembered Sanders always sitting on her front stoop, drinking her morning coffee and helping people. She also loved to listen to Gospel music.

“She dances around, she shouts, so everyone usually knows her just based on that,” a friend said.

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DeKalb Fire and Rescue said the 911 call came around 10:20 a.m. Monday morning. Sanders became trapped upstairs. Her brother, Avon, was on the first floor and injured himself trying to save her.

“That’s her big brother. So I think it’s really plaguing him, knowing he couldn’t save her,” Horton said. “He’s managing. He’s with family. He’s with his children they’re making sure he’s OK.”

The cause of the final remains under investigation.

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