A former UGA football player who played in the NFL before becoming an assistant coach at the Reinhardt University was among three people who died in an early morning fire on Sunday in Walton County.
A 31-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter were also killed in the fire.
Fire Cheif Keith Glass said that, Quentin Omario Moses, aged 33, was found first as the firefighters rushed to contain a fully engulfed house fire on Shamrock Drive in Monroe.
Neighbor Melanie Anderson told to Channel 2 Action News she kept on seeing an orange glow through the crack in her curtains before 6 a.m. on Sunday.
She banged on the doors and windows, shouting that the house was on fire as she tried to get the attention of the three people inside until a man broke out a window and heavy smoke poured out as the fire department arrived at the scene. The firefighter carried an unconscious Moses past Anderson’s 7-year-old daughter, who often played with the girl inside the house. He was declared dead at the Clearview Medical Center.
Glass said that, after the firefighters cleared debris from a collapsed roof, the bodies of Andria Godard, aged 31, and her 10-year-old daughter, Jasmine Godard, were recovered.
As the news spread, a community of coaches and fans expressed their grief and prayers for the families. The UGA head coach Kirby Smart, who was an assistant coach when Moses was a player at the Georgia, sent a tweet saying that he was saddened to learn of the tragedy.
A member of the three different National Football League teams, Moses is most famous for his time with the Miami Dolphins.
Moses was serving his fifth season with the Reinhardt as a defensive line coach. Reinhardt is an NAIA school located in Waleska, about an hour north of the Atlanta.
President Kina S. Mallard said that the school and its football team were shocked as they gathered on Sunday in Waleska to discuss how to move forward.
The head coach James Miller said that, Moses was an integral part of the coaching staff.
Members of the community were already leaving balloons and flowers at the scene of the fire on Sunday afternoon.
Averell Floyd, Andria Godard’s father and Jasmine’s grandfather, told to Channel 2 he thanks God for the time he had with them. He said that Moses played ball with Jasmine.“He vowed that he would look after her,” Floyd said.
A Reinhardt University campus vigil is planned for Tuesday.
By Mrudula.
