A mom and her five-year-old son have been identified as the two victims who died in an apartment fire in Euclid, Ohio on Sunday, October 30. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner identified the two people who perished in the blaze as Gabrielle Lepre and her son, Chase Goodson, Cleveland.com reported.
Friends said they were distraught over the deaths of Lepre and Goodson. Joe Farley, who was a co-worker and friend of Lepre, described the 31-year-old as the best mom ever. He said that wherever Chase was, that is where Gabby was. He added that they were always together and Chase was such a bright kid.
Goodson was a kindergarten student at Euclid City Schools Early Learning Village. The district issued a statement on Sunday evening, saying that counselors will be available for both students and staff to cope with the tragedy.
District to help students and staff deal with the deaths
The statement read that they inform with great sadness the loss of one of their Early Learning Village students and parent in a fire yesterday. The statement added that the ELV team will be making phone calls to the families who shared the same classroom as they know the loss of a friend and classmate can be a very difficult experience, especially for young kids.
The school's Facebook post included a link that provides resources and suggestions to help kids deal with grief. The statement added that the best support for their kids during this time may be to continue their normal daily routines. That includes attending extracurricular activities and going to school.
Euclid firefighters responded to a call at around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday regarding a fire at Aljer Manor Apartments on Euclid Avenue. Authorities forced entry into unit B3 upon arrival.
Lepre and Goodson died from their injuries at the hospital
They found flames in the kitchen area before finding Lepre unconscious in the living room of the apartment. Her son Chase was located a short time later in his bedroom. Both of them were rushed to local hospitals via ambulance, according to WKYC. The two of them sadly both died from their injuries.
All other occupants in the building were fortunate to make it out safely. Crews from Euclid and four other area departments battled the fire for about 15 minutes before getting the blaze under control and preventing the flames from spreading to other homes.
Euclid Fire Lt. Bill Mastroianni returned to the scene of the fire on Monday, October 31, with a crew who was off duty over the weekend. Mastroianni and his crew discussed tactics and reviewed what took place there.
Mastroianni said that his engine company was not there first, but they did go inside the apartment after the fire was put out to assist with searching for victims. He added that when they went inside the apartment, it was still filled with smoke. Mastroianni said it was near zero visibility in the apartment and there was still a considerable amount of heat inside.
