Friday afternoon, the community came together to release balloons in memory of 1-year-old Noah Navarre, who perished in a house fire Sept. 13.
Balloons were released by neighbors, members of the community looking to show support, and surviving family.
The release was held outside the now-condemned Brandywine Street former home of Noah, his three siblings (aged 2 to 5), grandmother, and father.
Read More: Lebanon Mayor Sherry Capello shares update on fatal Brandywine Street fire
The community also lit candles for Noah at a memorial filled with toys, stuffed animals and flowers.
“I tried to get them out — I tried”
Grandmother of deceased 1-year-old tells her story
The morning of Sept. 13, Barbara Miller woke up to her eldest granddaughter, age 5, telling her there was a fire. Miller, age 59, immediately jumped into action.
“That’s when I ripped my oxygen off and went upstairs,” she explained.
At first, she entered an upstairs room that was on fire, thinking the kids were there. She soon realized they were in an adjacent room filled with smoke.
While Miller took the two girls, aged 5 and 2, and 4-year-old boy outside, she said they tried to follow her back into the home when she tried to save baby Noah.
She ran up the steps to try to save him at least three times, she said.
Miller said she was told to stay outside of the burning building by neighbors gathered nearby.
“They kept saying, ‘stay out here,’ but I said I’m gonna keep at it until I drop,” she said.
Neighbor Angel Laureano, who Local21 News reported broke down the door and windows after noticing the fire, also tried to rescue Noah to no avail.
By 9:55 a.m., city fire units had arrived — three minutes after initial dispatch — but they could not save Noah.
Miller was soon sedated and airlifted to a Lehigh Valley hospital, the flesh on her hands black and melting off from the heat and smoke, she said.
For a time, Miller and her 4-year-old grandson were in critical condition, while both granddaughters were hospitalized for smoke inhalation but treated quickly.
Miller said she was allowed to leave the hospital for Friday’s balloon drop, but that she would have to return afterwards.
Miller said the children are all out of the hospital and in foster care, while father Brian Navarre (who was at work at the time of the fire) figures out how to rebuild their lives.
A GoFundMe started to support the Navarre family has already raised $16,495 at the time of reporting, with a goal of $100,000.
“Not only did this family lose a child, they lost their home and all of their belongings,” the fundraiser reads. “No help is too big or too small.”
However, Miller is the children’s maternal grandmother, having stayed in Navarre’s household following his breakup with their mother to watch the kids while he was at work.
In the wake of tragedy, Miller now has to worry about her own livelihood, even as she sustains serious injuries from the fire.
“I’ve got no place to live, no income, no nothing,” she said. “I couldn’t even get the money for the kids to have a ride to come see me.”
A neighbor present at the balloon release said that he’d heard community members were in the process of organizing a separate GoFundMe for Miller, as well as getting her food and clothing.
Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Reach our newsroom using this contact form and we’ll do our best to get back to you.
Free news isn’t cheap. If you value the journalism LebTown provides to the community, then help us make it sustainable by becoming a champion of local news. You can unlock additional coverage for the community by supporting our work with a one-time contribution, or joining as a monthly or annual member. You can cancel anytime.
More Top Stories
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
