A pregnant teenager tragically died in an upstate New York house fire over the weekend, but doctors successfully delivered the her newborn baby.
The blaze engulfed a home in the town of Greece on Saturday, trapping 19-year-old Kiera Johnson and one other relative on the second floor, WROC reported, citing firefighters.
Six members of the Johnson family — including adults and children — were in the house when the fire broke out.
“Kiera was at the window, but there was an air conditioner in it,” a relative told the outlet.
“She put her hand under and she was like, ‘I can’t breathe. Help me.’ And then they said Kiera had disappeared.”
Both Johnson and the trapped relative were pulled from the house and later died.
Johnson was due to give birth to her second child only a few weeks from her death — and doctors were able to deliver her baby, relatives revealed in a GoFundMe.
“Our family is completely devastated and trying to navigate an unimaginable loss while also caring for her children during this heartbreaking time,” the fundraiser reads.
The newborn and another relative are in critical condition at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.
Family members say that Johnson’s life revolved around her 3-year-old daughter, Zurii, whose birthday was just two days after the fire.
“The last post she made on Facebook was saying that she wants her kids to always know that their mom is going to do whatever it takes,” said Satasia Morley, a relative who said she was like a sister to Johnson.
Zurii hasn’t fully grasped the tragic loss, but has been asking about her mom, the family said.
“She kind of got a sense of what’s going on, but she don’t fully know, because, you know, she’s just a kid,” said Kiera’s sister Algeria Johnson.
“But she’s questioning where her mom is.”
“Yesterday for her birthday, we just made it about her,” Algeria continued. “She was, like, really happy.”
The family plans to name the newborn Kiera so she can retain a spiritual connection with her mother.
“I want her to know that her mom is very strong,” said Morley.
“And she’s an angel. She’s a blessing.”
