A mobile home fire in Topeka, Kansas, on Labor Day took the life of 9-year-old Alex Honea. His twin brother Ben and their father remain hospitalized. Family member Chelsea Fisher told reporters she got the call while in Kansas City and watched a livestream as two police officers and three neighbors tried to reach the family before fire crews arrived. Investigators have preliminarily ruled the fire accidental, and the Honea family lost their home along with their son.
The twins had special needs and would have turned 10 later this month. Fisher remembered them as smiley and sweet, with personalities that stood out. A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family with recovery expenses, and donations from across the country have started coming in.
Stories like this hit differently in a region where so many of us live near the water, in older homes, or in manufactured housing that can go up fast in a fire. The Suncoast knows hurricane season, and we know how quickly things can change. The single best thing you can do this week is test your smoke alarms and walk your household through an escape plan, including a meeting spot outside. Have you checked yours lately? Let us know in the comments.
