Community raises $7,000 to help Middletown family injured in fatal fire
A GoFundMe for the family identifies their last name as Busbey and raised more than $7,000 over the weekend.
A devastating house fire that killed one person and injured five members of the same family in Middletown Friday remains under investigation, while many immediate neighbors who witnessed the tragedy remain in shock.
“The son said he couldn’t get to his nephew and couldn’t save his dog,” says Ed Downing, who lives across the street.
The fire started at 5:21 a.m., according to officials, at 8 Knapp Ave. Neighbors say a young man who lived at the home with his grandparents died in the blaze.
“It’s just sad, especially the young kid,” says Downing. “Just getting out of school; life beginning and tragically this happens.”
Authorities haven’t revealed the cause of the fire, which they say burned for more than seven hours, until 12:48 p.m. Officials say the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is helping with the investigation, as it does on all significant fires of a similar size and seriousness.
Other neighbors News 12 spoke to say the family lived at the residence for at least a decade, and that they were known to help nearby residents who couldn’t shovel their walkways and driveways during the winter.
“It’s very emotional. They were good neighbors,” says Steven Paskewitz.
A GoFundMe for the family identifies their last name as Busbey and raised more than $7,000 over the weekend.
Authorities say the five people hurt suffered various injuries and were taken to the hospital.
The name of the victim who died has not been released.
