Fire claims lives of Ohio woman and her 3 grandchildren staying for Christmas

Fire claims lives of Ohio woman and her 3 grandchildren staying for Christmas

The boys' parents were living just two doors down, and said they had gone to visit their grandmother so she wouldn't be alone for Christmas.

A fire claimed the lives of a woman and three grandchildren in Ohio who were staying there for Christmas.

The bodies of Terry Harris, 60, and her grandsons, 14-year-old Kenyon, 11-year-old Broderick, and 9-year-old Braylon were identified after an early morning fire in Fayette County about 40 miles southwest of Columbus, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Authorities believe that all of them were trying to escape the house, as Harris’ body was found near the front door with the children behind her. The smoke likely overcame them because they could get out, said Sheriff Vernon Stanforth.

The fire quickly consumed the small house and blew out the windows, giving the family little time to escape. By the time the call came in at 4:11 a.m. when neighbors reported flames and firefighters were able to arrive in just four minutes, the building was completely engulfed in flames.

The parents of the boys live just two doors down. The boys had gone to their grandmother’s house to keep her company on Christmas. The sheriff described the family as “just lost.”

Stanforth said the family was very much involved in the community, and the parents had even grown up there, as he had remembered teaching both of them in the D.A.R.E. program at their school. He described it as a close-knit community, and said the event will have a deep impact on it. The school district plans to provide counselors fro students and parents at the local high school.

Be social, please share!

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *