Mother, Daughter Die in Hambden House Fire
Katrina Heiden, 38, and her 9-year-old daughter, Chloe, perished in a fire at their home at 11084 Taylor Wells Road in Hambden Township early Thursday morning.
Katrina Heiden, 38, and her 9-year-old daughter, Chloe, perished in a fire at their home at 11084 Taylor Wells Road in Hambden Township early Thursday morning.
Two other occupants, Robert Sharp and his 7-year-old son, escaped through a window, Hambden Township Fire Chief Scott Hildenbrand said, adding Sharp is the father of both children but he and Heiden were not married.
Hildenbrand said a neighbor called in the fire and the call was dispatched at 2:24 a.m. Sept. 8.
Firefighters arrived on the scene at 2:31 a.m. to find the 1,790-square-foot house in flames.
Firefighters were hindered in their search for the occupants by heavy smoke that seriously limited their ability to see their way around, Hildenbrand said.
The chief added the home did not have smoke detectors and the preliminary investigation suggests the fire started in the kitchen.
“This is a reminder of why you need working smoke detectors in your home,” said Hildenbrand. “If you live in Hambden, come to the fire station and we will give you one or two.”
When Heiden and Chloe were found, they were taken to University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.
Two family pets, a dog and a cat, also died in the blaze.
A GoFundMe page was created for the family.
“Rob and Carson were able to get out of the house through a window but unfortunately Katie and Chloe were not able to. Rob had tried to go back to get them but was unable to,” the GoFundMe reads. “I am fundraising this for Rob and Carson as they heal from the tragic loss of their wife/mother and daughter/sister. The funds will be giving to Rob, could be used for meals, a place to stay, the funerals, and anything they may need.”
Fire crews from Lake, Ashtabula and Geauga counties responded to the call for mutual aid, and trucks stayed at the scene for three to four hours. The state fire marshal and the Geauga County Fire Investigation Unit will determine the cause of the fire, Hildenbrand said.
“The Burton Volunteer Fire Department responded with multiple mutual aid agencies to the house fire on Taylor Wells in Hambden Township. They see things no human should ever see,” the BVFD stated in a post on its Facebook page. “The original responding deputies did their best, without thought of their own well being, to enter the home but were forced back out by heavy smoke. We have no doubt that the deputies and firefighters did everything they could to save the lives of the mother and young child, and we also have no doubt that this will forever be on their minds and in their hearts.”
The property, owned by Robert Miner of North Bloomfield, according to the Geauga County Auditor’s Office website, sustained about $150,000 in damage, Hildenbrand said.
