3 Children Die in Tragic House Fire Unable to Escape While Parents Are at Bible Study
Three young children died in a house fire earlier this week while their parents were attending a Bible study, according to Wisconsin authorities.
Officials say that the three children, Natalie Maki, 11, Carter Maki, 7, and Ben Maki, 10, were killed when they became trapped in a house fire in Sheboygan Falls Tuesday evening.
THe fourth child, 9-year-old Jenna, was able to escape the fire and run to a neighbor's house, where she was able to contact authorities for help.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"Very preliminary information is that the 11-year-old was able to wake the 9-year-old and give a warning to flee the residence. The 9-year-old did, believing the others were following," Sheboygan Falls Public Safety Director Steven Riffel told The Associated Press in a statement. "The 11-year-old returned to assist the other two still upstairs, but none were able to flee the home."
Authorities are now investigating the cause of the fire and reports that the parents of the children had been away at a church Bible study when the house caught fire.
Residents in the Sheboygan Falls community have begun delivering food and clothing to the family, as several of the family's belongings were destroyed in the fire.
Clint Witt, a local resident who has relatives who live on the block where the fire broke out, told CBS 58 that he went around the neighborhood this week, asking for donations for the suffering family.
"I got 10 grandchildren ... it hit me pretty hard. I still want to do this. I thought a lot of people were going to look today, so I figured why not hit them up for money," Witt told the media outlet.
A family member has recently started a GoFundMe webpage for the Maki family, and has successfully raised over $86,000 out of their $150,000 goal to offer help to the family.
"The amount of funds needed in this situation is astronomical when you consider not only trying to rebuild a home but a family. Every little bit is so helpful in taking care of everything from funeral costs to normal day to day living," the relative, who identifies himself as a brother-in-law to the Maki family, wrote.
