4 Little Kids and Dad Found Dead Early in the Morning: 'Just Heartbreaking'

A tragic event has left two mothers reeling after losing their young children. Friends and community members have rallied around the two women to assist them with funeral preparations by raising funds that have surpassed the intended goal.

On January 6, 2024, the West Virginia State Fire Marshall revealed on their Facebook page that a fire had killed five family members in their home.

Only one survivor escaped the blaze and has since received medical attention. Since the incident, a GoFundMe page has been opened on behalf of the survivors.

A Father & His Four Kids Were Killed in a House Fire

"Five individuals have died as a result of a fire in Hardy County, WV early this morning. One adult and four children perished in the blaze," the fire department revealed in their statement.

According to the officials, the victims' ages range from one to five years, including a 28-year-old male. They further disclosed that Hardy County 911 received a call at approximately 5 a.m. on January 6, 2024, with a report of a house fire on Woods Edge Road in Mathias, West Virginia.

Only one female resident could flee the scene and was transported to Winchester Medical Center. Meanwhile, the deceased were transported to the WV Medical Examiner's Office for autopsy and identification.

The statement revealed that the cause of the fire was undetermined because of severe damage to the home. However, no smoke alarms were discovered among the debris.

Candi Strawderman is the only survivor of the fire that killed her fiancé Hunter Campbell, her two sons, Bucklee and Grayson, and her two stepkids, Abilene and Jayce. A close friend, Brandie Hall, revealed how she is coping at this time:

"She is taking it day by day, obviously this is a tremendous loss for her. She was discharged (from the hospital) yesterday to go home, and I was able to go see her, and she was just taking it as she can."

Hall divulged that Strawderman has another daughter, Alayla, who was luckily not at home at the time of the fire because she was at her grandparents' house. The youngster is reportedly only four years old.

She described Strawderman and Campbell as some of the "sweetest and funniest" people who prioritized family above everything else. Hall further stated:

"To Candi, those babies were her entire world. When you saw Candi, you saw Hunter and the kids."

The couple were "great people," said another family friend, Tifani Myers, who has been pals with Strawderman for years and has been in contact with her daily since the tragic event. She added the pair went everywhere with their children, who adored them as their parents.

As for Campbell, he made his fiancée laugh even when she did not want to. "They could be absolutely doing nothing together and be happy just in each other's presence," Hall revealed. The family patriarch loved seeing his loved ones smile.

Hall disclosed that Abilene and Jayce's mother, Megan Clark, is also in mourning after they lost their lives in the fire. According to Hall, Clark adored her children as they were "her whole world." "One mom losing her babies is awful, but two going through the same thing is just heartbreaking," she expressed.

GoFundMe Pages Were Set Up for the Grieving Moms

To show the two grieving mothers support, Brandi set up a GoFundMe to help Strawderman raise money for funeral expenses, medical bills, and whatever else she may need to help build her life back.

She later provided an update on the platform, sharing that Strawderman had received donations that exceeded the initially set goal amount while thanking those who had donated. As of this writing, the money raised was over $60,000.

Meanwhile, Clark also has a GoFundMe page, which reportedly raised $13,000 to support her with funeral arrangements for her young children. Hall divulged that Strawderman had expressed gratitude to the community for showing support.

She and the other community members are collecting clothes for Strawderman and her daughter. Meanwhile, Strawderman and Clark are said to lean on each other for support during this difficult time.

Read a similar story about an eleven-year-old girl who escaped a home fire only to learn that her whole family had tragically passed away.