Geneva grandfather rescues 3-year-old grandson from burning home

A grandfather’s split-second decision helped save his 3-year-old grandson from a Geneva house fire that destroyed the family’s home and killed eight pets.

The fire broke out early Friday, April 24, at a home on East Osceola Road in Seminole County, where the Seminole County Fire Department said crews responded at about 2:30 a.m. Officials said the blaze began in the kitchen and spread into the garage and attic, turning a sleeping household into a fast-moving emergency.

Kayla Argueta said she was focused on getting her children out through thick smoke when the danger intensified. She managed to get two of them outside, but Luca, her 3-year-old son, slipped away and became trapped inside. Her father, the boy’s grandfather, ran back into the burning home, found Luca and carried him out alive. When he emerged, he was bleeding from his arm, but all six family members survived.

Fire officials later identified the people inside as Gary, his wife Tami, their daughter Kayla, Kayla’s two young children, Nico, 19 months, and Luca, 3, and 12-year-old Liam. A later report said the family was taken to the hospital out of caution. Battalion Chief Phil Pershing spoke at the scene as firefighters worked to contain the damage and keep the fire from spreading farther through the home.

The loss went beyond the structure itself. ClickOrlando reported that eight family pets died in the blaze. Another account said the family had lived with a large number of animals, including dogs, cats, a snake, turkeys and chickens, and that some animals had been accounted for. The home was destroyed.

The family is now trying to rebuild while facing the immediate needs that follow a total loss, including temporary housing, clothes and other essentials. The American Red Cross was called in to assist, and the family started a GoFundMe to help cover the basics as they begin again.

For Geneva and the wider Seminole County community, the fire is a reminder of how quickly a kitchen or attic fire can overtake a home, especially in the overnight hours when people are asleep and smoke spreads before flames are fully visible. It is also a story of family courage, and of the long recovery that begins after the last fire truck leaves.