Community members have dedicated a playground memorial to four young children killed in a Mother's Day house fire that also claimed their father and a family member.
The (Pottsville) Republican-Herald reports that the memorial at the Bunker Hill Playground in Pottsville was dedicated Sunday during a ceremony. It's in remembrance of 2-year-old Elijah Brown; 3-year-old Emily Brown; 7-year-old Jeremiah Brown; and 8-year-old Joy Brown. They were killed in the May fire while their mother was at a neighbor's house doing laundry.
The blaze, which was ruled accidental, also killed their father and an aunt.
The garden has two benches painted in the children's favorite colors, stepping stones for each child and a plaque with photos. Volunteers also helped give the playground a complete overhaul.
The May 12 fire broke out just before midnight at a single-family home on the 200 block of Pierce Street in Pottsville, Pa.
Pottsville Fire Chief Todd March called it the worst fire he has seen in 37 years battling blazes.
"By the time our firefighters arrived on the scene there were flames everywhere -- coming out the front -- the whole building was entirely engulfed," said March.
Firefighters later found all of the bodies on the third floor of the building, which sits on a steep hillside not far from the D.G. Yuengling & Son brewery in Pennsylvania's coal country, about 90 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
Kelly Brown was doing laundry at a neighbor's house nearby at the time of the blaze because her washing machine was broken, according to the neighbor, Jennifer Purcell. Purcell said they had smelled smoke, and Purcell went outside and saw the flames, telling Brown, "Oh my God, your house is on fire!"
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They both ran up the street to the house, but weren't able to get inside, Purcell said.
Kelly Brown started screaming to emergency personnel keeping her back, "What do you mean I can't go in? My kids are in there, my husband is in there, my sister is in there. I've got to get them," according to Purcell. Brown got weak after that and had to be walked down the street because she couldn't stand, Purcell said.
Video shot by FireandFilm.com shows heavy flames shooting out of nearly every window of the home as firefighters try to battle back the flames.
Five firefighters suffered minor injuries trying to rescue the family and put out the fire.
It took firefighters about an hour to bring the fire under control.
