Charred wood and caution tape now surrounded by gifts as a makeshift memorial guards the ashy shell of this home in Altoona--the place where 3-year-old Darrel Etchison, Jr. lost his life in a horrific fire Thursday.

Donna Staltz, family friend, says, "We left a little stuffed animal that we had in the car. It was a Christmas animal. They are in our thoughts and prayers."

Donna Staltz was just one of the many people who stopped by the site on Sunday. Leaving tokens and saying prayers, remembering the little boy whose life was taken too soon.

Bob Conte, family friend, says, "I remember him tapping at the window asking for Donna. That’s what he did every time we saw him."

Friends say a vigil is being planned in the toddlers' honor. Meanwhile his mother 33-year-old Brandy Etchison lies in a coma in a Pittsburgh hospital, struggling to survive.

Staltz adds, "I can't stop thinking about her."

It’s a tragedy that has rocked this Blair County community. A little boy lost, a home destroyed, and a mother fighting for her life...all because of a blaze that police say was intentionally set.

Conte adds, "We feel really bad."

The man who police say set the fire, Aaron Wilson Dishong, remains locked up in the Blair County prison.