Updated: 10:54 AM PDT, March 22, 2021
A 13-year-old girl from New Jersey died in a house fire that completely engulfed her family’s New Jersey home over the weekend, officials said.
The young girl and the family’s dog were the only ones unable to get out as flames spread throughout the Franklin home around 10 p.m. Friday. Two residents of the house had to escape from the second floor, ABC 7 reported.
A friend staying with the 13-year-old’s family sustained minor burns as they tried to go back into the home to rescue the teen.
At this time, authorities have said the fire was “accidental.”
Police have not officially released the girl’s name, but a GoFundMe page created on behalf of her family identified the teen as Heaven Davenport. She was remembered as a “funny beautiful girl who had a whole life to live.”
“[She] was constantly surrounded by all her siblings and loving big family,” the page said of the victim. She was one of six children, according to her Facebook page.
“It’s a family that’s lived in town for quite some time. So it’s a loss that’s being acutely felt, as you can imagine,” Sgt. Robert Vander Ploeg told reporters.
The local school is providing counseling for any students who may need someone to talk to.
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