Recently, a deadly house fire in Ohio claimed the lives of five people on Thanksgiving Day. According to reports from authorities, two of the lives lost during the tragic event belonged to children.
Per reports from the Ohio Department of Commerce, volunteer firefighters in Athens County responded to a call around 7:30 a.m., where they discovered two mobile homes on fire and a damaged outhouse when arriving on the scene.
“Any kind of fatality, it’s hard. When there’s five and there’s children involved, it adds to it,” according to a statement from Richland Area Volunteer Fire Department Chief Dale Sinclair.
The volunteer firefighting group reported that upon arriving at the scene of the devastating fire, the roof of one of the mobile homes had already collapsed from the ongoing fire. Subsequently, they found the bodies of the five deceased occupants inside. Although, it is reported that one individual managed to escape the fire and was transported to the hospital for treatment.
While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, the Ohio fire marshal’s office, the county sheriff’s office, and the county coroner are looking into the incident. Furthermore, the identities of the deceased victims have not been released, although authorities did confirm two of the victims were children.
Sinclair commented that some of the volunteer firefighters knew the residents of the mobile homes, where “mental health” needs would be addressed as a part of the debriefing of the tragic event. “We’re having a debriefing tonight. We’ve got a team coming in to meet with everyone and try to get as much mental health help as we can,” Sinclair said.
House fires are always devastating, and, as Chief Sinclair noted, when fatalities are involved, the scenario becomes infinitely worse. However, the American Tribune reported on an uplifting story from earlier this fall where a 6-year-old girl from Louisiana heroically rescued her family from a potentially deadly fire.
Adriana Prince noticed a fire starting within her family’s home when she suddenly sprang into action, bravely rescuing her family from what could’ve devolved into utter chaos. “I didn’t even hear the smoke alarms. She did. So, she was very brave. She ran through the house, got me, and then, she ran and got her brothers out. Went and got a neighbor, and she got us out. So, we’re very proud of her,” according to Misty Gorman, Adriana’s mother.
Adriana commented on the protocol she followed during the situation, giving solid advice for others if faced with a similar predicament. “You should stay calm, and you should crawl out of the fire. If you got on fire, you should roll, and then, you should call firefighters,” she said.
“I was brave enough. I wasn’t even scared, like a little bit,” Adriana added. “My tummy was hurting, and I needed to go to the bathroom. All of a sudden, I looked up, and I saw fire in the cabinet. I saw it like this much, and then I looked for a second, and I realized there was fire.”
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