by Mara Montalbano
Fire marshals spent Friday investigating what caused Thursday night's house that killed a two-year-old Annadale boy in his crib.
Neighbor Edward Dalessio bore stitches in his bandaged leg Friday, as a reminder of how he was one of the people who tried to save little Jesus Bailey from the burning Woehrle Avenue house.
"I was on top of the shed trying to break the side window and the other guys were in the back trying to break the door," said Dalessio. "The lady was in the back, screaming 'My baby, my baby.' We were trying to ask her where it was and she wouldn't answer. So we were trying to break the windows in the back."
Neighbors ran for hoses to douse the flames, but said it was just too dangerous to go inside.
When firefighters responded, they found Bailey in his crib in the upstairs bedroom and rushed him to the hospital. But it was too late to save him.
"To die like that, it's horrible. It shouldn't happen to anybody, especially a baby, you know?" said neighbor Josephine Christiano.
Fire officials said about 11 other children and an adult made it out okay on their own. Distraught neighbors comforted the child's mother, who did not wish to speak about the incident.
"Everybody tried to save the kid,” said neighbor Thomas Malagraeca.
“But it went up so fast," said neighbor Janet Malagraeca.
The Malagraecas, who live in the home attached to the burnt house, one that went up in flames. They say they'll have to find another place to live while all the damage is repaired. They say their loss pales in comparison to their neighbors'.
"We're alive," said an emotional Janet Malagraeca. "We can talk about it. That's better than what happened to them."
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