With great grief and heavy hearts, we recall and honor the lives of Joline Cooper, 25, her 5-year-old daughter Celeste Kershaw, and her 3-year-old son Atreus Kershaw, tragically lost in a home fire in Austinburg Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio Friday morning. Their sudden death has left a great and permanent void in the hearts of their family, friends, and the general public, who now mourns together with them.
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At around 7:30 a.m. the fire started on the 2100 block of Jefferson Eagleville Road, then rapidly engulfed the house. Marsha Cooper, the mother of Joline and grandmother of Celeste and Atreus, says the family was trapped on the second floor of the house as the fire raged. She said that because of a maintenance problem alternative heating systems were being used in the house and that propane tanks may have helped to quickly grow the fire. Likely contributing to the severity of the fire, the building was formerly an old barn converted into apartments.
Acts of courage and fast thinking were clear amid the catastrophe. Three persons treated at a nearby hospital—including a 1-year-old boy tossed from a window to flee the fire—have since been freed. The unbearable sadness of losing Joline and her little children, whose life was brimming with hope and love, moderates these little rays of hope.
To limit the fire, firefighters from several jurisdictions toiled relentlessly all morning and afternoon. Chief David Shook of the Geneva Fire Department pointed out how hard fighting the fire was, noting the small lane and severe weather as impediments. While a state fire marshal was called in to look into the cause, fire crews stayed on site Friday afternoon tending to hot spots. Also there to lend help and support were deputies from the Ashtabula County Sheriff's Department.
A stunned and grieving neighborhood has emerged from the disaster. More than victims of a fire, Joline, Celeste, and Atreus were a daughter, a mother, a grandma, and young lives full of laughter, aspirations, and love. Their absence serves as a painful reminder of the frailty of life and the need of community assistance in times of emergency.
Friend, family, and neighbors cling together as detectives try to find the actual cause of the fire, remembering experiences and consoling one another via this unimaginable loss. Though they died young, those who loved them will always carry the memory of Joline, Celeste, and Atreus in their hearts.
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