An online fundraiser has been established to benefit the family of a 5-year-old girl who died Monday night in a Brunswick apartment fire.
The girl’s family members identified her as Keagan Sullivan. She was the only person to die in the fire, which decimated the building she lived in at Hickory Hill Apartments. Fire investigators are working to identify what caused the fire, though they ruled out arson on Tuesday.
The Medina County Coroner’s Office has not confirmed the girl’s identity. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, which was contracted to perform an autopsy, referred questions to Medina County. However, a gofundme page set up by the girl’s family identifies her as Keagan and includes a photo of her smiling sheepishly before a birthday cake.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the fundraiser had collected more than $17,000 for family members who lost all their possessions in the fire and must pay for hospital and funeral costs.
In an interview, Keagan’s uncle Joseph Sullivan said the family was overwhelmed by the response.
“The local response has been amazing,” he said. “The fact that St. Ambrose church was packed with people and things to provide to us and everyone else was just overwhelming.”
He said his family was devastated by the news of Keagan’s death. Many members of the family are staying home from work and school to grieve.
“They have nothing. They don’t even have a place to live right now,” he said. “Everyone involved in this is going to have to pick up their lives and move on, so I don’t know how much is enough or even if there is enough.”
He said he established the fundraiser as soon as he heard the news of his niece’s death. Much of the money was donated by family members, friends, members of the military and players of online games that Sullivan enjoys.
“I’ve got 13 years in the military and a lot of brothers and sisters. I also play a lot of online video games with massive communities,” he said. “The first thing I did was reach out to all my friends and they started spreading the word. There are people who are mortal enemies in the game, and they’re stepping up to help out.”
His sister, Jordan Sullivan, is Keagan’s mother. She and Keagan’s 6-year-old sister Kye were among six people hospitalized for their injuries. Kye was released from the hospital on Wednesday, but Jordan remains in the hospital on a ventilator due to smoke and soot inhalation. Keagan’s other sister, 2-year-old Kylee, is staying with grandparents.
Sullivan said Keagan’s biological father does not live nearby. Jordan’s boyfriend, Russell Roper, lives with the family. According to social media posts, he identifies himself as stepfather to Keagan.
In addition to Keagan’s death and the six people who were hospitalized, more than 50 people were displaced from their homes in the apartment building and an adjoining structure in the complex. Several pets also died, and many nearby apartments suffered water damage from firehoses.
Sullivan said many other gofundme.com collections were set up by others ravaged by the fire. He encouraged people to donate and said he’ll meet donors in person if non-cash items wish to be given.
“If people want to donate in other ways, join gofundme and send me a message,” he said. “I can set up a time and a place for us to meet. Whatever they want to do.”
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ.