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Friends grieve 10-year-old boy, grandmother who died in fire
Family friends are remembering the two victims who tragically died in a Palm Bay house fire. The tragic fire occurred on January 12 at approximately 2:19 a.m. Palm Bay Fire Rescue crews responded to a home on Janus Road NE after multiple 911 callers reported a house fire with people possibly trapped inside.
PALM BAY, Fla. - Family friends are remembering the two victims who tragically died in a Palm Bay house fire.
The tragic fire occurred on January 12 at approximately 2:19 a.m. Palm Bay Fire Rescue crews responded to a home on Janus Road NE after multiple 911 callers reported a house fire with people possibly trapped inside.
Crews arrived within minutes and found the home almost totally engulfed in flames.
The victims
The backstory:
Firefighters made multiple attempts to get inside the home from several points, but extreme fire conditions prevented successful entry.
A 10-year-old boy and his grandmother both lost their lives in the tragedy. Investigators still don’t know what sparked the fire.
Sherill Vandemaat was 75 years old and died in the fire. Her grandson, 10-year-old Noah Baus, was the second victim.
Noah’s mom, Michelle, was also injured running inside the home trying to save her family.
The victims are remembered for always being there for others, always being helpful and as very special people in the community.
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"It was a blessing to know him and his family, and we’re all very sad for the family and are going to miss Noah and his grandmother very much," said Jennifer Wilson, who’s a family friend devastated by the loss.
Noah was known to always ride his bike around the neighborhood and help anyone he could. He made others happy and was always looking out for others.
"He did anything for everyone, and he always made sure everyone was okay, and he always wanted to help. He would ride his bike around and see grown men fixing their stuff. Hey – can I help you fix that," said Brianna Barnett, who’s organizing a fundraiser to help Noah’s mom.
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Noah had several friends in the neighborhood who always loved playing with him and missed him dearly. They’re trying to remember all the fun times they had together swimming, playing tag and talking with each other.
The fundraiser
What you can do:
A community hot cocoa fundraiser is happening on Saturday, Jan. 24 at Fred Lee Park at 895 Emerson Drive NE from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All the proceeds raised at the event will go directly to Noah’s mom to help with expenses.
The organizer wrote on the event page, "Even if you’re unable to donate, please consider stopping by to show your support, share some love, and surround Noah’s family with the strength of our community. Every presence, kind word, and gesture matters."
"It’s just important to surround his mom and his family and let people know that there’s a lot of people out there thinking of them that really care about their family," said Barnett.
The Source: FOX 35 Reporter Esther Bower first responded to the fire and gathered information from officials on Jan. 12. She spoke with the family friends and event organizers on Jan. 19.