Georgian girl Katelynn Simmons, 11, dies while trying to save her puppy from a fire at her family home

An 11-year-old girl died after trying to save her puppy from a house fire at her family’s home in Georgia.

Katelynn Simmons ran back to the burning house in Spalding County, about 40 minutes from Atlanta, Saturday evening to try to save her dog “Little Man” from the flames.

Spalding County Fire Chief Mike Byrd said WSB TV the fire ‘was visible from a mile away’ after his team were called to the house around 5.30pm.

When firefighters arrived, they immediately began searching for Katelynn in the “advanced” fire. The team soon found her upstairs, but it was too late to save her.

The little girl’s step-aunt, Tressia Perry, said Katelynn’s stepfather and stepuncle tried to go back inside to save her, but “they couldn’t get in.”

“Katelynn, she’s just like us: an animal lover. She went upstairs and grabbed that puppy,” said her uncle, Charles Beecher Fox 5. The dog also did not survive.

At the time of the fire, Katelynn’s brother and two others were in the house and survived.

It is unclear whether her parents were home at the time of the incident and whether anyone tried to prevent her from running into the flames again.

The fire was ruled accidental, but it is unclear what started the fire. DailyMail.com has contacted the Spalding County Fire Department.

Byrd said a firefighter was injured and taken to the hospital. All responding firefighters were given counseling to help deal with the catastrophe.

“We’re going in, all of us, with that attitude. We’re going to do everything we can, within what is humanly possible, to make a difference,” Byrd told Fox 5.

“And these stories (are) just tragic for us.”

A memorial full of cuddly toys and flowers was placed outside the house by friends and family.

The roof of the house had collapsed and charred after the intense fire took over.

“It’s hard knowing that I won’t be able to see her again,” her uncle said.

‘It is heavy. I mean, 11 years old. Her life was simply taken too soon.”

Katelynn was a cheerleader for Spalding and Pike County Rec Centers and attended Cowan Road Middle School.

a GoFundMe page was created for the young girl’s family when they lost everything in the tragic fire.

‘This is the worst thing that can happen to a parent. It is unfathomable the pain and fear she is feeling,” the page’s organizer, Meredith Smith, said on behalf of Katelynn’s mother, Kristy Rollins.

All proceeds will go to the family, including Katelynn’s mother, her stepfather Kevin Rollins and her brother. More than $7,000 was raised Tuesday morning to help with funeral expenses, new housing for the family and clothing.

Donations of clothing, food and toiletries for the family are also being accepted at a local church.

“Her visit here on earth was short-lived, but her family will experience this for the rest of their lives,” Smith said.

Heartbroken family and friends took to social media to remember the young girl.

“This one really hurt,” Angel Morgan said in a Facebook post.

“Sissy was so young, beautiful, funny, full of character, smart and let me tell you, she was as blunt as they come,” she added.

Another family member, Lindsey Moore, posted videos and photos of Katelynn, saying, “Fly high sissy u (sic) will always have a place in my heart, and so many others.”

Her loved ones have shared the hashtag #LLK, Live Like Katelynn, on social media and posted about local fundraisers to support her family.

A raffle was held at a furniture store, Act Now Liquidation, as several items will be given away to those who purchased $5 tickets that went to the family.

Another small business, Local Nutrition, offered 25 percent of the proceeds to go to Katelynn’s loved ones and even named a drink after her.

‘The family is going through a difficult time at the moment. They are going through a tough time,” Perry said.