Firefighter organizes fundraiser to benefit Scott family after fatal fire
RACINE -- A fundraiser is being held to benefit a mother who lost three children in a fire in Racine. That fundraiser is organized by a firefighter who responded to the home on Linden Avenue in Racine on November 9th.
Deborah Scott and her four children were living in a home without power on Linden Avenue in Racine. Scott had reportedly just gotten a new job, and was working to restore power to the home.
On November 9th, a fire ignited by a candle claimed the lives of nine-year-old Dayja Scott and eight-year-old Dalija Scott. Seven-year-old Michael Scott was pulled from the home and taken to the hospital, where he later died. Five-year-old Luther Scott fought for his life at the hospital, and was later released.
By the time Mike DeGamo was called to the home, firefighters were already carrying four unresponsive children away from the flames.
"We work as hard as we can to revive people and give them the best care we possibly can. At that point, we were charged with kind of taking care of our responders. We had four firefighters that suffered some level of exhaustion and we had two police officers that received some minor injuries," DeGamo said.
With a family mourning the loss of three precious lives, DeGamo and others are stepping up this holiday season.
"There are calls like this one that do take a little bit more of a toll. There has just been an outpouring, almost a ground swell of support," DeGamo said.
Racine firefighters, police and the Racine Unified School District are among those hosting a fundraiser on Friday, November 14th with the hope of helping little Luther and his mom, Deborah rebuild their lives.
"The family has been very moved and very touched by all the support that they've gotten," DeGamo said.
Friday's fundraiser will be held at Festival Hall in Racine from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. It will be a family-friendly event with Santa and a pasta dinner that's $10 for adults and $5 for kids.
Attendees will also receive a free smoke detector, with installation included if need be.
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