House fire Incident at South Bend, Indiana
Recently there has been a very unfortunate tragedy that came about in South Bend, Indiana. This devastating case occurred last week on Sunday, January 21. With a heavy heart, the family had initially lost five of their children, they were pronounced deceased at the scene after the house fire took place.
However, there was still hope for one more of them. Nonetheless, even though the medical team tried their best to make her survive and live, she was in critical condition her last days in Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis. Sadly she passed away on Friday morning, January 26, at 9:46 a.m. She was known to be Angel Smith and was only 11-years-old.
An Attempted Rescue
It is known that David Smith, the father of these beautiful and innocent souls did survive the blaze and is now still recovering from his injuries, according to Suzie Krill, a spokesperson for the South Bend Fire Department. It really is a heartbreaking case, and a situation that no parent would ever want to face or encounter.
Moreover, the father did in fact try to rescue his children but was forced back by heavy smoke and wind-driven flames, the South Bend Fire Chief, Carl Buchanon stated. The father only suffered minor injuries the night of the horrific chaos. Surprisingly, two firefighters that tried to control the situation also were injured. One of them was burned and his colleague fell through a hole in the second floor and landed on the first floor.
The Victims of This Fire Blaze
Furthermore, like mentioned before, the other siblings of Angel Smith also passed away in this horrible incident on the scene. They were identified as three boys and two girls, now being three on the count, sadly. They were the following:
- Demetris Smith, 10 years old.
- Davida Smith, 9 years old.
- Deontay Smith, 5 years old.
- D’Angelo Smith, 4 years old.
- And Faith Smith, 17 months or 1 year and 5 months.
How Did This Horrible Tragedy Come to Happen
The fire specifically began at 222 North LaPorte Avenue, in the early evening. The reality is that the cause of this incident and how this fire started is still unknown and under investigation.
Currently, the South Bend Fire Department investigator and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security are working together to determine and identify what was the first room that caught on fire and the actual cause of this. On the other hand, South Bend police are also working to rule out foul play.
In fact, there were some mysterious signs and red flags that were outstanding regarding the electrical system before the house was caught on fire. According to the public records requests obtained by the South Bend Tribune, “the house had failed a federally mandated safety inspection in July after an inspector found a list of 10 violations, including an electrical problem throughout the entire home.”
This could possibly be linked to the fire that caused this massacre. And a reason as to why the South Bend city officials are stressed, for the fact that at the moment it is still not clear how or where the house fire actually started.
The Heartbroken Community
Overall, these types of situations are definitely really hard to get through, especially because every single child passed away in this family including the most recent one, which has left the community, family, and friends with a heavy heart. The empathy was expressed, because immediately the South Bend community supported the GoFundMe campaign that was administered by a family friend to help the father of the family throughout this hard process.
The community also held a vigil on Sunday Jan. 28, for all the children outside their burned home. There was white, pink, and blue balloons released, their names were recited and prayers were offered as well.
Written by Jeanette Sanchez
Sources:
People: 11-Year-Old Girl Dies at Hospital, Becoming 6th Sibling to Die After Indiana House Fire
WRTV ABC Indianapolis: Sixth child dies as result of weekend fire in South Bend
AP News: 11-year-old girl hospitalized after Indiana house fire dies, bringing death toll to 6 young siblings
South Bend Tribune: Sixth child from South Bend dies from injuries suffered in LaPorte Avenue house fire
mlive: Girl, 11, becomes sixth young sibling to die after Indiana house fire near Michigan border
Inset Image Courtesy of Ali West Flickr Page-Creative Commons License
Featured Courtesy of Albert Straub Flickr Page-Creative Commons License
