Pictured: (L-R) Bella Smythe, 12, Danny Smythe, 13, and Ethan Smythe, 16.Photo:GoFundMe
GoFundMe
A Missouri community has thrown its support behind a family after their three childrendied in a house fireearly Monday, according to multiple outlets.
A relative told theSpringfield News-Leaderthat Bella Smythe, 12, Danny Smythe, 13, and Ethan Smythe, 16, were killed in the blaze that broke out just after midnight local time near Marshfield.
Several agencies responded to the fire, but the home was deemed to be a complete loss, perThe Marshfield Mail.
The Missouri Division of Fire Safety and the Webster County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
Daniel and Carissa Smythe, the children’s parents, did not have life or home insurance, the children’s uncle Adam Cole said in a message posted on aGoFundMepage created to help cover funeral and “basic” expenses. More than $82,000 had been raised as of Wednesday morning.
“To lose a house is devastating,” the organizer said in the fundraiser’s description. “To experience the loss of a home to a fire while you’re in it with your family barely out of reach is unimaginable. To lose a child is one of the [worst] experiences fathomable. To lose all three at the same time? There. are. no. words.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The loss has also impacted the children’s school district, which has offered counseling services to students and staff. “Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers during this extremely difficult time,” Marshfield superintendent Mike Henry said Monday, per a subsequent report from theSpringfield News-Leader.
Shannon Carter, Bella’s teacher, toldThe Marshfield Mailthat the reality of losing three students “at once” is devastating. “[Bella] brightened my morning with her laugh each day,” she added. “I’m left speechless as I think about the future of my classroom without her.”
PEOPLE has reached out to Cole and the Marshfield School District for comment.
“Ethan, Danny and Bella were so beautiful and we miss them dearly. We know and understand that money isn’t going to bring them back,” Cole said in an update on Tuesday. “However, it will help equip Carissa and Daniel with the tools and equipment needed to run the marathon ahead of them. A marathon they have not been training to run. You are helping them through this nightmare of a moment in their lives.”
source: people.com
