GROVEPORT, Ohio — A Groveport family is mourning the loss of a man who was killed in a house fire in Groveport on Feb. 20. Danny Price said his brother, Jackie, was their world.
"He was my big baby brother… from the time I was 7 or 8, I understood that everything we did revolved around him,” he said.
Danny said Jackie had autism. The 34-year-old man lived with his parents who were his primary caretakers. Two weeks ago, Danny received a call from his mom no one was ever prepared for.
"She said that a fire had started in the house and my brother didn't make it out in time, and he was on the way to OSU Medical,” he said.
Jackie died from smoke inhalation.
Danny’s parents first noticed smoke coming from the kitchen that Tuesday afternoon.
"When my dad pulled the dishwasher out of the frame, they saw smoke coming out of the floor. So my mom ran downstairs to shut off the fuse box to the kitchen… and right when she opened the laundry room door, all these flames came out,” Danny said.
As seconds turned into minutes, his parents quickly fought to get to Jackie, who was upstairs in his bedroom, but the thick black smoke made it too difficult to see or breathe.
"My dad punched out the back window trying to get to him and he was laying on the floor… he put his fingers in his ears and he was getting really scared and he kind of curled up in a ball,” Danny said.
According to Danny, social workers would go over fire safety with Jackie often: if you see flames, get out. But, he said this situation was different.
"He didn't put smoke with fire,” Danny said, which is why they believed he stayed inside.
Soot-covered walls, appliances, and floors are now all that remains of the house his family called home for decades.
"I see him in every corner… I see my childhood and just the fact that my parent's house, their safe haven, is not here anymore,” Danny said.
Mourning the loss of things means nothing compared to the grief that comes with the loss of life.
"For the past 34 years, he was their life. It's not like he went off to college and started his own life with kids and a career. He was their baby,” Danny said.
The Jackie the family adored was always happy and always laughing.
"Any time we complained, we would hear him laugh and we would just stop and think, 'If only we were like Jackie.' That's my memory of him,” Danny said.
Jackie’s love for Disney movies is a reminder of the kindness and humanity that exists within all of us. Lessons that Danny said he’ll always keep close to him.
"When you talk about others, do it out of kindness, Don't take stuff so seriously. I'm still learning, but he's teaching me, even after he's gone,” Danny said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Danny added he hopes their story sends a message to families to have a fire safety plan.
“Have a fire safety plan, even if your kid is autistic or has Down syndrome because if you practice enough with them, it could save a life. Fires happen every day, and we keep saying we always thought it would never happen to us, and it did,” Danny said.
If you’d like to help support the cost of Jackie’s memorial and help his parents who lost almost everything, you can find a link to donate here.