. >> reporter: velma jones was next door and dropped everything to help. another neighbor shot this cell phone video of people trying to battle the flames even as firefighters arrived. >> the fire department was met by many neighbors trying to assist in getting the one victim out who was found in a back bedroom. >> reporter: by the time firefighters found the boy, he was dead. >> she was frantic. she was burned really, really bad. her face was just black. >> reporter: fire officials say the boy's mom went to the hospital with second and third degree burns and her teenaged son has minor burns. >> it's really traumatizing. it's very sad. very sad. and he was getting ready to start school. he said i'm going to be in kindergarten, ms. v. >> reporter: ms. v says she called the boy little man. >> he was a very smart, respectful little boy. he would always say how is your son doing? and how are you doing today, ms. v? that's what he would say to me every day. >> the neighbors say this boy just turned 5 years old and as recently as last week she bought him a birth