Child injured in apartment fire, fundraising underway
Nov. 11—Fundraising efforts are underway to help the family of a 5-year-old girl who reportedly suffered extensive burns in an East Side apartment fire.
Mila Sams, who was staying with her grandmother at Oak Leaf Gardens, was flown to the burn unit of UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh then transferred to Akron Children's Hospital's burn unit after a fire broke out in their apartment Saturday night.
Information about the child's condition was unavailable Monday afternoon. Sams is a kindergartner at Harry W. Lockley Early Learning Center.
New Castle Area School District Superintendent Gregg Paladina said the school will be undertaking a donation-type fundraiser to assist the child's family.
A GoFundMe page also was organized by Carla Lazar of New Castle, which has a goal of $5,000. As of noon Monday, more than $3,000 had been donated.
The fire, which broke out around 9:30 p.m. in the first-floor apartment, displaced 18 building residents in total, and a therapy dog in a second-floor apartment perished in the blaze.
New Castle firefighters arrived within five minutes to find flames leaping out of the first-floor windows and heavy smoke showing.
Fire Chief Mike Kobbe said Sams apparently suffered significant burns. The firefighters assisted McGonigle Ambulance with providing initial medical care for the girl. She was then transported to a helicopter and flown to the burn unit of Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh for evaluation. Kobbe said the girl's family notified him she was later transported to Akron Children's Hospital burn unit.
The girl's grandmother, Carol Matthews, 66, was taken to UPMC Jameson Hospital and treated for mild smoke inhalation.
Kobbe said multiple family members went to the scene when they heard about the fire.
Kobbe said all of the city's firefighters were called out, and the Shenango Area Fire District and Union Township Volunteer Fire Department assisted in fighting the blaze.
The fire spread to a second-floor apartment and started to spread into the roof, he said, "and we were concerned we might lose the building so we called in a lot of extra help to make sure we had a lot of hands on the scene."
The firefighters rescued two cats, one of which was lethargic and was administered oxygen by the ambulance crew at the scene. The other cat was wet but was fine, Kobbe said.
He said the fire started in a back bedroom near a mattress and appears to have been accidental. The state police fire marshal was called out Saturday night and was to revisit the scene again Monday to determine the actual cause.
Kobbe said the apartment where the fire started has heavy damage, and the second and first floors have fire and water damage. He estimated the loss at about $200,000.
All of the occupants of the eight apartments requested help from the American Red Cross, he said.
The electrical power to entire the building was shut off, and the gas line to the building was disabled as a precaution.
The apartment complex is owned by Tryko Partners of New Jersey and is managed by Platinum Realty management company.
