INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Relatives of the family of four who died in Wednesday's apartment fire in Independence are remembering their loved ones.
According to a GoFundMe, the mother and father have been identified as Katelyn and DeVante. Their two daughters, Bella, 8, and Aaliyah, 3, also died in the fire.
Bella was in the 2nd grade at William Yates Elementary School in the Blue Springs School District.
LINK | Unattended cooking cause of Independence fire that killed family of 4
Independence Fire Chief Jimmy Walker said the fire started in one apartment and then spread to other units in the building, including the unit where the family who died lived.
More than 30 other people were displaced in the fire.
Jaiyah Robers wrote that firefighters rescued her, her infant son, her mother and two sisters from the top-floor of the three-story apartment building. While they were able to escape, they lost everything, including gifts from her son's recent 1st birthday.
On Wednesday morning, KSHB 41 News reporter Marlon Martinez spoke with Josiah Piercey, who described how neighbors knocked on the door of his family's apartment to help them escape. He said he, his wife and their baby boy were able to safely escape.
Jocquan Bowden wrote that she was able to escape with four pets, though sadly two of the pets panicked, ran away and didn't survive.
Friends of Terry Rowe say he was also among those residents who was rescued from the top story of the apartment.
They writethat firefighters broke through his window to help bring him to safety.
The local chapter of the American Red Cross is helping to provide assistance for families displaced in the fire.
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