WHITEHALL, Ohio — One day after two young children lost their lives in a fire, the Whitehall neighborhood where it happened is paying tribute with a growing memorial. The community and first responders are now waiting on an investigation that they hope will bring answers into what happened.
“In the fire service our job is to always prevent something like this from happening,” said Whitehall Division of Fire Assistant Chief KJ Watts. “If we can learn anything from that incident to try and keep it from happening again that will do wonders in our healing process.”
Eight firefighters and all the police officers that responded to the incident on Sunday, took the rest of the shift off. Watts says they were only about five hours into a 24-hour shift when the call came in.
“We called in the shift before to cover them, so when that shift got here, from wherever they were at, from whatever they were doing that day, they gladly came in,” said Watts.
Whitehall Police Department Lieutenant Brian Smith told 10TV he was the first officer on scene, and it took 10-15 minutes before they had a clear indication of what was going on.
“In my 18 years, this is by far the most traumatic scene that I’ve ever seen, partially because children being involved,” said Smith. “The family is devastated, again you feel for the family, there is a sense of attachment there from the community. This is personally the hardest scene I’ve ever been on and I’m sure the officers and firefighters that were on scene with me are feeling the same way.”
The Columbus Fire Department sent over a team of trained professionals to help the first responders handle their grief.
As the firefighters and officers involved reflect on the tragedy, their thoughts remain with the family, who lost a two-year-old boy and an 11-month-old girl.
“Our prayers go out to them. Such a tragic situation two young lives lost,” said Watts. “It will impact them forever, and it will impact us forever.”
The State Fire Marshalls Office is assisting with the investigation. Currently, the cause of the fire is undetermined.
First responders who have dealt with a crisis can find coping resources here.