An 8-year-old Oregon girl ran into a burning mobile home to save a litter of 11 puppies. Her mother ran in after her.
Nevaeh Applegate, 8, and Honey Cosgrove, 37, never made it out.
The children ran outside. Cosgrove called 911. Then Nevaeh ran inside to save the puppies.
“There were 11 brand new puppies in that RV,” Patty Krull, the child’s grandmother, said. “Nevaeh went to get the puppies.”
Cosgrove ran in after her daughter but never came back.
“The gasses in the RV ignited and it was over just like that,” Krull said. “I’m proud of my daughter she gave her life for her children.”
Krull described the mom and daughter as two caring people who always smiled.
“Her whole face would just shine and she meant the world to me,” Krull said. “Nevaeh wanted to save some puppies, could I tell you anything else about a big heart in a little girl.”
Krull said both her daughter and granddaughter were “heroes.”
“A little 8-year-old girl didn’t know that she was putting her life on the line,” Krull said. “She knew there were babies there and went to get the babies and the mother went to get the baby.”
Amity Fire Chief Bruce Hubbard told KPTV that a heat source was too close to the flammable material and that there is nothing suspicious about the fire.
The surviving siblings are three girls—aged 12, 14, and 17—and an 11-year-old boy.
Amity Christian Church is collecting donations for the family.
“This is a terrible tragedy that causes much pain and grief for their family and our students and staff,” the statement from the Amity School District says. “There are several siblings who survived the fire and will be dealing with this tremendous loss for a long time.”
