Facebook/Kristina Stratton Kristina Statton, widow and single mother of five dies trying to save her kids from burning home.
Kristina Stratton is a single California mother of five who died while running into her burning home to save her children, CNN reports.
Stratton, a 38-year-old widow, ran into her Bakersfield home Thursday to rescue her kids.
Her children, four of whom were in the house, managed to escape through an upstairs window but Stratton was found dead inside.
Stratton’s three youngest children lost their father to cancer four years earlier.
“There are a lot of questions now that both mom and dad have passed and how that’s going to look in the next weeks and months and years,” pastor and family friend Angelo Frazier told CNN.
Firefighters Are Investigating What Caused the Blaze
The Kern County Fire Department said it is investigating the cause of the fire.
“As your Kern County Interim Fire Chief, I never want to wake up in the middle of the night to hear about someone dying because of a fire,” Chief David Witt said in a statement. “The tragic events of last night make our community sit up and take notice.”
According to KFSN, the four children in the home were aged 7 to 18. The children were trapped upstairs and Stratton tried to make it up to save her kids but was unable.
The children were able to escape by breaking a second-floor window and jumping to safety.
The children suffered smoke inhalation and other minor injuries and were treated at a local hospital, the fire department said.
Stratton’s sister, Sarah Parks, called the mom a “hero” and said that she and her husband planned to become the children’s legal guardians.
The father of Stratton’s two older children lives in a different state, she said.
“My sister just did what any mom would do, protecting her children. She’s my hero. I hope I could be half the woman she is,” she told BakersfieldNow.com.
A GoFundMe Has Been Set Up to Raise Money and Clothing for Stratton’s Children
A GoFundMe campaign was set up to help the family.
“The proceeds of this page will go to Sarah Parks who has legal guardianship of the kids,” the page said. “She said the money is going to cover the service/burial and to take care of the kids. They are planning on adding bedrooms to their house to make more rooms for the kids. She also talked about setting up savings accounts for the 5 children to start saving for college. She is overwhelmed and very grateful for all the support.”
North Bakersfield Toyota announced they would hold a donation drive to help support the family.
“She had a lot of people who loved her,” Frazier told CNN. “She loved her kids, her family, God. She loved life. She was just that kind of person.”
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