Grandmother, Three Grandsons Die In Christmas Fire In Ohio Home


A sad story this Christmas has left a grandmother and her three young grandsons dead after a house fire in Ohio. The bodies of the four family members have been tentatively identified after the large fire at a home in Washington Court House, Ohio.

According to People, the victims are believed to be that of 60-year-old Terry Harris, and her grandsons Kenyon Harris (14), Broderick Harris (11), and Braylon Harris (9). Dr. Dennis Mesker, the Fayette County Coroner, said the very badly burned bodies were turned over to the coroner’s office in Montgomery County for confirmation of ID and autopsies.

The boys actually lived two houses down with their parents. Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth said that they didn’t want their grandmother to be alone on Christmas.

“They didn’t want their grandma to be by herself on Christmas night; that’s why they spent the night there. The children just adored their grandmother.”

WCPO reported that the body of the grandmother was found near the front door of her single-story ranch home. The bodies of the three boys were found near her, and it is believed that she was attempting to get them out of the home.

It took firefighters hours to even get near the debris and look through it due to the severe heat of the fire and how unstable the site was. Stanforth knows that this Christmas-time fire will be difficult for the whole community.

“To lose three children and a grandparent, it’s devastating to the family. The fact that it’s the holidays makes it even worse for the community.”

It was around 4 a.m. on Friday morning that a phone call was made by a neighbor to the police in Fayette County.

“There is a fire out here. A house burning down. I’m surprised someone hasn’t called because it’s burned almost completely down… nothing but the flames are showing,”

Within minutes of camera crews and police arriving on the scene, the parents of the three boys were there. No comment has been made by the parents or any other family members as of yet.

Counselors were on hand on Friday afternoon so that family members and friends could speak with them, if needed.

So far, the cause of the Ohio fire that killed a grandmother and her three grandsons on the day after Christmas has not been determined. Authorities are still working to figure out exactly what may have happened.

[Image via Eric Albrecht – Columbus Dispatch]

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