The Cape Cod community is mourning the loss of a 6-year-old boy and stepping up to help more than a dozen others who are now displaced following a house fire over the weekend.
The fire happened on Route 6A in Orleans, Massachusetts, according to firefighters.
"The first arriving crews were met with information that had smoke and flames coming out of the second floor of the building, and that a child was missing," explained Orleans Fire Chief Geof Deering. "Within a few minutes, a child was located on the second floor, he was immediately removed and transported to the hospital. He later succumbed to his injuries from the fire."
Four other people were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, the chief confirmed.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
"I can't imagine the pain that the family is going through, and the loved ones of this young man. It's just heartbreaking," Deering said.
The Monomoy Regional School District posted on Facebook Monday that they are now collecting donations for the family of the boy, whom they identified as an Harwich Elementary School student named Kyi.
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
"Kyi will be deeply missed by all. HES Principal Cutone and our school counselors are working closely with the family to provide emotional and material support, and our counseling team is also working with students and staff to process this loss," the district said.
Others are also now without a home, including Tita Sangkapoag, the owner of Royal Thai Cuisine in Eastham.
"I don't known what I can say, I just feel lost because -- I just saw smoke and everything," she told NBC10 Boston Monday night.
Sangkapoag added that she has not been allowed back in her unit yet to see what belongings are salvageable.
"They haven't let me in yet," she said. "I have to ask them to go look and see how my stuff is, everything."
If she does have belongings in tact, she says she will have to store them in the basement of the restaurant until she can find an affordable place to rent.
"I just need a house to stay, because I cannot stay in a hotel for long. I have to work every day," she explained. "It's so hard on the Cape to find a house for rent."
The cause of the fire remained under investigation Monday night, but Deering said it did not appear suspicious.
