Family grieving loss of 1-year-old girl who died in Cleveland house fire

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CLEVELAND (WJW) – A Cleveland family is grieving the loss of a one-year-old girl who died in a house fire Thursday morning.

Cleveland Division of Fire arrived at the 13300 block of Marston Avenue in Cleveland at 10:25 a.m. Thursday.

“Arriving companies found this occupied house behind me well involved with fire, there was fire on the first and second floor,” Lt. Mike Norman said.

Norman said crews discovered a female resident had just jumped from the front porch to escape the fire, but a one-year-old child was still trapped inside the burning home.

“Cleveland firefighters were able to go on the second floor, locate the child, bring the child out,” Norman said. “Child was transported by EMS to Metro Hospital, but unfortunately succumbed to her injuries.”

Next door neighbor Sandra Mayes said she’s absolutely heartbroken to learn that the baby girl did not survive, but knows the residents did everything they could to save her.

“The grandmother of the baby was upstairs in the bed,” Mayes said. “She came out the window, she said she was trying to get the baby and she said it was so much smoke. And like I said, it was so much flames that she said she somehow the baby got away from her.”

The fire spread very rapidly, and the fire hydrant nearest to the house was not functioning properly according to Mayes and other witnesses.

Investigators are still trying to determine exactly how the fire started but neighbors also reported hearing gunfire, causing concern that the fire wasn’t the only danger.

“There may have been firearms inside the house,” Norman said. “That was what some of them in talking to the battalion chief on scene, that’s what he said, that there may have been a weapon inside the house. That was discharging due to the fire.”

The home is expected to be a total loss, Norman said. The Red Cross is also expected to assist the family.

“I live next door, I see that baby every day,” Mayes said. “You know, she’s a very bubbly, light-hearted little girl, you know? And I’m just sorry that all this happened.”

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Tino Bovenzi

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