GWINNETT COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
The house crashed to the ground with a loud thud as a heavy loader prodded and rammed the home, and with it, fell the memories of a horrifying night.
The house that had been an eyesore and a constant reminder of tragedy has been demolished.
Three children died in February 2011 in a fire at the house on Spring Mill Road when chemicals used to process the drug methamphetamine ignited and sparked a fire, police said.
Four-year-old Isaac Guevara, his 3-year-old brother Ivan and their sister, 18-month-old Stacy Brito, died.
Police said their mother, Neibi Brito, her friend, Joseph Perez, and Ivan Gonzalez were cooking the drug inside the home.
Police arrested Brito and Perez and charged them with drug trafficking and murder.
Gonzalez, who police said started the fire, is still on the run.
A demolition team tore down the house Wednesday morning, leaving behind a heap of bricks and wood. Neighbors were happy to see the house with such grim memories finally fall.
"There's a lot of sad memories from what happened last year," said Joe Jenkins, who has lived in the neighborhood for 28 years.
"We've never had anything like that happen in this immediate neighborhood," Jenkins said.
Piper Burkes, who lives across the street, said it was time for the house to go.
"It was an eyesore in the community and we want the memory to be gone," Burkes said. "Children died. A lot of us didn't even know what was going on in the house."
For Susan Burton, the house stood as a testament to the tragedy.
"There's so much bad out there. We were just reminded of it all the time. It brings tears to your eyes," Burton said.
Burkes hopes someone will rebuild on the land where the house once stood and help erase the awful images of the horrifying night etched on neighbors' minds.
"Maybe we can make a park or a garden or another home, something with happy memories," Burkes said.
The demolition should be complete by Thursday.
If you have any information about Gonzalez, call Gwinnett County Police at 770-513-5300 or Crime Stoppers at 404-557-TIPS.
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