LANCASTER, Ohio — Members of an Ohio community are coming together to help a 5-year-old girl who was the sole survivor of a house fire that killed her mother, father, and 9-month-old brother this week.
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As previously reported, the fire was reported around 1 a.m. on Wednesday in Lancaster.
Police identified the victims to our news partners at WBNS as Mason Marshall, Christen Woodman, and their 9-month-old baby.
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The sole survivor of the fire was the couple’s 5-year-old daughter, Rowyn.
A police report obtained by our news partners at WBNS revealed that Marshall held Rowyn out of a third-story window. Neighbors and police used a ladder to get her down.
After that, the officer told Marshall to go back inside and get the baby. He went back in, but did not return.
“In the chaos of the moment, officers were under the impression additional victims were inside an upstairs window and asked for them to be retrieved. An adult as the window returned inside just as the upstairs floor became engulfed,” Lancaster Police Chief Nicholas Snyder told WBNS.
The house is considered a total loss from the fire.
In the days following the fire, business owners in Lancaster are stepping up to help the little girl, who is now staying with her grandfather.
Several businesses have started collecting donations of clothing, shoes, toys, blankets, gift cards, and money for her.
“My heart breaks for them, so just very sad. We want to support the best way that we can,” Danielle Axe, owner of Sweet Betty, said to WBNS.
There is also an online fundraiser that has already surpassed $35,000.
The cause of the deadly fire remains under investigation.
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