A 10-year-old Middletown girl is being praised for potentially saving the lives of her mother, two younger brothers, and grandmother after fire broke out Friday night in their home in the 1400 block of Girard Avenue.
Erica Brown, a single mother of three, told Cincinnati TV station WLWT from her hospital room at Atrium Medical Center, that her son accidentally knocked over a candle in her bedroom. They light the candle every night in memory of the children’s father, who died in an accident in November, she said.
After the fire broke out, Brown said she and her mother, Dewonia Brown, tried to extinguish the flames, but she fell and burned her face and arms.
She was listed in fair condition today at Atrium, hospital officials said.
That’s when her daughter, Makalea Gabbard, dragged her down the stairs of the two-story home, located across the street from Middletown Middle School. The girl then called 911, she said.
Family members told WLWT they’re gathering donations. Items can be dropped off at Grace Community Church, 1703 Pershing Ave., from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
The Middletown Fire Department estimated the loss of property at $25,000 and $4,000 to contents, according to a fire report. The report said the cause of the fire is undetermined.
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