Jerilynn Brown, 13, has died in a house fire, just weeks after beating a form of bone cancer, her father Jerry has said The blaze occurred in Buckner, Jackson County, in the early hours of the morning on the Fourth of July “I want her to be remembered for who she was: she was a bright soul,” Jerry Brown said of his daughter, per KSHB 41 A 13-year-old girl has died in a house fire in Missouri just weeks after beating a form of bone cancer, her father has said.
In the early hours of the morning on the Fourth of July, the Independence Fire Department responded to a fire at a residence at 1101 North Lake City Valley Road.”
The Missouri Department of Public Safety’s Division of Fire Safety (DFS) confirmed in a Monday, July 7 news release that the blaze — which occurred in Buckner, Jackson County — “killed two people,” including a “13-year-old girl.”
The release noted that a “second person later succumbed to his injuries,” and at least one other remained hospitalized.
The teenage victim was identified as Jerilynn Brown, who had beaten osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, just weeks before her tragic death, her father, Jerry Brown, told KSHB 41. She’d left Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City in late June.
“I want her to be remembered for who she was: she was a bright soul,” Brown said of his daughter, per the outlet.
“She made them presents. Every nurse a present,” Brown said of Jerilynn thanking the staff who looked after her in hospital, according to KSHB 41.
“Every nurse and doctor signed this heart she made. She made it with her love while she was fighting cancer because she is a great person,” he added, per the station.
Brown confirmed that Jerilynn’s mother and a firefighter had also been injured in the fire, KSHB 41 reported.
Insisting he’ll miss his daughter’s hugs the most, Brown told the station, “Everybody who met her knows how good and awesome she is.”
A GoFundMe set up to raise money to help the family rebuild amid the tragedy said of the victim, “Jerrilynn was a bright, brave, and beautiful soul who had just overcome a long battle with cancer only two weeks prior.”
“Her strength and spirit touched everyone who knew her. To have her taken so suddenly after all she had endured is beyond heartbreaking,” the message added.
Independence Fire Chief Jimmy Walker said of the fire, “To see a young girl who just beat cancer to have to have it end like this,” according to Fox 4 Kansas City.
“I’m speaking on all of our folks our heart goes out and we are all very upset about this as well,” Walker added, per the outlet.
The second victim’s name has not been released. He died on Sunday, July 6, Fox 4 Kansas City reported, citing family. A woman remains in the hospital with life-threatening injuries, the outlet noted.
The DFS is investigating whether fireworks used the night prior to the blaze could have been the cause of the fire.
“The DFS investigation showed the fire originated on the residence’s covered back deck. Consumer-grade fireworks being used the night before could not be eliminated as the cause of the fire,” Monday’s news release stated.
