Shock, grief, and solidarity in Bullhead City after 5 children killed in house fire
Bullhead City, Arizona, was struck with shock and grief over the weekend as a house fire on Saturday evening claimed the lives of five children.
On the night of the fire, there was a boat parade in the city for the holiday season, as mentioned by Grace Hecht, a City Council member who operates the local nonprofit Make Bullhead Better. She initially learned of the heartbreaking news through an alert from the city manager.
“Many of our community members were down enjoying Christmas, which is what everybody’s supposed to be doing during this time,” Hecht said.
Live feed from Tuesday's Bullhead City Council meeting
The tragedy sent shockwaves through the city, situated at the intersection of Arizona, Nevada, and California. It's a growing yet close-knit community, according to Hecht, where running into someone you know at Walmart is common, and many residents have personal connections to the affected family. Notably, a grandfather of the victims works for the local Fire Department, which responded to the blaze.
Hecht heard that the victims’ family had attended the town’s recent “Trunk-or-Treat” Halloween celebration.
“That was just a couple months ago,” she said.
Authorities were withholding the names of the victims until they were officially identified by the Medical Examiner’s Office. Lance Ross, the public information officer for the Bullhead City School District, mentioned that one of the children attended kindergarten at the nearby Desert Valley School.
Mike Conner, the president and CEO of the community assistance nonprofit River Fund, has been assisting in connecting the parents of the victims with resources as they navigate through the process of coping with their loss.
“Right now, it’s just getting over the shock of what happened. Nobody can let go of that yet. So all we’re trying to do is sustain light for these people right now,” he said.
River Fund has received over $6,000 in donations for the survivors, assisting them in replacing the food, clothing, and shelter lost over the weekend, according to Conner. Another online fundraiser, organized by a friend of one of the victims' parents, has garnered over $13,000. Additionally, a local realtor has stepped up to aid in finding replacement housing, Conner noted.
Hecht’s nonprofit is planning a vigil in memory of the victims for Wednesday evening.
“There’s no words. There's no amount of candles, no amount of flowers, no amount of ‘I’m sorry's ever bringing them back” she said.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Bullhead City devastated after 5 children killed in house fire
