On the one year anniversary of one of the deadliest fires in Philadelphia’s history, a headstone was unveiled honoring the three adults and nine children who lost their lives.
A dedication ceremony was held at 3 p.m. Thursday at Chelten Hills Cemetery on 1701 East Washington Lane in Philadelphia. The event included music and speeches before the unveiling of a large headstone covering the unmarked graves of the 12 victims.
On January 5, 2022, a fire started at a home owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority along the 800 block of North 23rd Street in Fairmount.
The fire marshal later ruled that the fire was sparked by a 5-year-old boy inside the home who lit a Christmas tree on fire.
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Three sisters — Rosalee McDonald, Virginia Thomas, and Quinsha White — and nine of their children — Dekwan Robinson, Destiny McDonald, Janiyah Roberts, J'Kwan Robinson, Natasha Wayne, Quientien Tate-McDonald, Shaniece Wayne, Taniesha Robinson, and Tiffany Robinson — all died in the fire. The victims ranged in age from 2 to 33.
“I want to let them know that we miss them so much,” Howard Robinson, the father of six of the victims, said during Thursday’s ceremony. “This whole year has just been so crazy without them.”
The gravestone initiative was led by the Philadelphia-based company Lee Monument, which specializes in designing and carving quality custom headstones to document memorials and monuments when loved ones are laid to rest. Over the past 15 years, the company has donated 52 headstones to children with families who couldn’t afford one.
For the headstone honoring the victim of the Fairmount fire, Lee Monument partnered with eight local businesses to raise thousands of dollars.
“We wanted to make sure that we had a beautiful monument to represent all 12 victims that died in the fire,” Jim Lee, owner of Lee Monument, said.
Nichole L. Tillman, Executive Vice President of Communications for the Philadelphia Housing Authority, released a statement on the fire on Thursday.
“Since the tragic fire last year, PHA has worked diligently to support the impacted families in ensuring that the surviving family members were supported and rehoused,” Tillman wrote. “PHA also partnered closely with our residents on the importance of fire safety and preventing fires at our developments. We recognize that education and partnership with our residents are key. Accordingly, PHA has actively engaged with the Resident Advisory Board (RAB) leaders and residents all year to educate, remind, and reinforce the importance of fire safety and the critical role residents play in ensuring safety. This included: meetings, fire safety literature and fire drills as well encouraging residents to have in place an emergency safety plan for their families. Safety of our residents remains paramount for all of us at PHA, and will continue to collaborate with our residents, who we are privileged to serve, to educate and inform them about fire safety and prevention.”
