Who was Brittany Jones? NY woman, 35, dies in house fire after saving 12-year-old son Anthony
Britanny Jones, a mother of a 12-year-old boy, sadly perished in Camden, New York, on July 25, Monday night while attempting to save her son from a deadly house fire, according to local media and her family. Britanny, 35, resided at the house with her husband Aaron Jones and their 12-year-old son, Anthony Jones.
On a GoFundMe page set up by family members, Aaron's sibling stated, "The loss of a family member will never be replaced. My brother lost his wife. My nephew lost his mother. She saved her son's life and made sure he got out of the house. Money is the last thing on their mind now. But they have lost everything. All they have is the clothes on their back."
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The fire was reportedly fought by multiple local fire departments for several hours before it was put out. Authorities verified to the Daily Sentinel that although the mother was found inside the house, the couple's son was able to escape.
Family members gathered in front of the house on Monday night, the day of the incident, in anticipation of seeing Brittany step out. Kayla Svereika, Brittany's sister-in-law told to CNY Central, "You cling to that hope that she's okay, because nobody wanted to think that she was not okay."
According to CNY Central, a first responder eventually informed them that Brittany didn't escape the house but instead spent her final minutes making sure the couple's son would live. "She was a force to be reckoned with, in everything she did," Svereiki added. "She didn't do something halfway — she did it all the way."
The Oneida County Sheriff's Office claimed in a statement posted on Facebook on July 26, Tuesday that officers and the Camden Police Department responded to the incident at approximately 9:45 pm on July 25, Monday. "Deputies and village police arrived approximately three minutes after they heard the call and the house was fully [engulfed]," they wrote. "When they arrived they learned that one of the occupants may still be in the house. Fire personnel later discovered a victim believed to be an occupant of the house."
The cause of the incident, which "does not appear to be suspicious," is being investigated by sheriff's investigators, members of the sheriff's ID Unit, and New York State Fire Investigators, according to officials. Britanny's relatives told CNY Central that they think the garage is where the fire started.
One of the numerous people who shared a tribute to Britanny after the tragedy was her family friend Alexandra Hope. "The love Brittany Jones had for her little family was enormous," Hope wrote on Facebook. "Anytime you would see her, Anthony was with her. Not only was she an awesome mom but just an awesome person all around."
"Brittany will be missed dearly by many and I know there are no words that will heal the pain but just know that she will be with you all in spirit everyday," Hope added. The GoFundMe campaign has so far gathered more than $30,325 to assist the family in getting back on their feet as of August, Monday morning.