Kokomo comes together to help family in fatal house fire
KOKOMO, Ind. (WISH) – Authorities have released the names of the two girls killed in a house fire on Christmas Eve.
Kokomo police said the coroner has identified 12-year-old Alexis Jones and 10-year-old Mercedes Jones as the two children who did not make it out of the home.
The fire happened around 3:30 Sunday morning at a home on North Morrison Street.
Two adults, three other children and a firefighter were also injured in the blaze but are expected to be OK.
The Kokomo community has come together to help the surviving family members. Not only are they working to plan funerals just a day after Christmas, but the fire destroyed their home and just about everything inside of it.
“I can’t imagine dealing with what they are dealing with,” said Jimmy Jones, president of the Kokomo Peace Watch Organization.
The Peace Watch store is just a few blocks away from the family’s home. Jones said as soon as people heard about the fire and the two girls who lost their lives, the community instantly started coming together to find ways to help. The Peace Watch store started collecting donations.
“I haven’t come across one person the last couple days who hasn’t talked about this story, that hasn’t been impacted by this story, and not one person that I’ve talked to that hasn’t tried to do something, hasn’t donated. … Everybody has been touched by this,” Jones said.
The store is also coordinating their efforts with the First Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Kokomo.
“The couple times I’ve talked to the dad of the family, the guy breaks down every time he talks about how many people have contacted him, how many people have donated to them already, and how many people still have stuff to donate how many people still want to help,” Jones said.
For more information on how you can help, visit the Facebook pages for the Kokomo Peace Watch or First EPC Church in Kokomo.