3-month-old baby, 3-year-old child die in Clay County mobile home fire
BRAZIL, Ind. (WISH) — A 3-month-old baby and a 3-year-old girl died in a Brazil mobile home fire Wednesday night, according to the Clay County Coroner Nick French.
Athena Holdbrook, 3, and Aries Romine, 3 months old, lived in a mobile home at Northview County Estates in the 3800 block of West State Road 340. That’s about a mile east of Brazil near Northview High School.
Autopsies revealed both died of smoke inhalation, although their manner of death remained under investigation on Thursday.
The fire happened around 8 p.m. Wednesday, said Cody Barnard, chief of the Posey Township Volunteer Fire Department.
Leeann Chandler, a Brazil resident, told News 8 on Thursday about the Wednesday night fire, “It was awful. I mean it was no time.”
“You knew those babies weren’t going to come out. There was no way they could make it,” Chandler said.
Chandler also says she couldn’t sleep after watching the fire that also destroyed the home. “One of the other neighbors, he tried to go in and it, like, blew him back, and then I tried to go in after, but there was just so much smoke. I feel so helpless,” Chandler said.
Chandler says she knew one of the children. “She was so adorable. She was full of life and she’d just smile, just smiles and smiles, and waving at people, and I thought, move over, you know. A lot of people kind of come in and out of here and that kind of worried me, but never thought of something like this,” Chandler said.
Not knowing what caused the fire was concerning to some neighbors.
“I need to know. We all need to know what happened because we’re in fear for our own lives as far as our trailers you know? It makes you realize how quick they can go and we all have families,” Chandler said.
Community members have left stuffed animals outside the burned-out home in memory of the children.
Misty Hill, also a Brazil resident, said, “As soon as I come outside, my first reaction was ‘What am I going to do?’ because at that time there was nothing anybody could do about it.”
Another Brazil resident, Tom Wetnight, said, “I’d seen all them firetrucks, and it was just awful.”
Whitney Blackard, another Brazil resident, said, “I feel so much for the family that is involved with this because they couldn’t do anything either but sit and watch, but I know there are a lot of people that are willing to help them get whatever they need.”
According to the Posey Township Volunteer Fire Department, more than 30 firefighters fought the blaze.